PEPS Pre-Kindergarten

Before school started we had a gathering of original PEPS group.  Above is the group as it is today with our expanded families (minus Derek who is Lowen and Taytum's brother) Below is our original group of moms and babies on the same set of stairs at Tiff and Kelly's.  WOW! Does time fly or what?!  Stats on the group: 3 families have 3 children, 4 families have 2 children and 2 have 1 child.  That is whopping 19 kids in under 5 years!

I'm so thankful for this very special group of moms and kids.  We spent so much time together the first couple years but unfortunately we don't see much of each other these days.  Gatherings like these are priceless :)

Greenlake

With the kids both in school I figure it is time to recap some of our summer adventures.  We were so busy and having fun that it was hard to find time to update the blog. 

One sunny July day we decided to venture to Greenlake with our 2 person kayak.  The plan was to take the kids out one at a time with Marty while I stayed back with a frisbee and snacks with the other.  Unfortunately the person who packs everything (food, clothes, swimsuits, diapers, kayak, life jackets etc, etc) forgot to pack the kayak paddles!!  So, we decided to make the best of it and walked over to the wading pool.  We rarely go to Greenlake so for the kids it was a big adventure.  

It was a fun in the sun kind of day. The kids had a great time at the wading pool although as you can see by Josie's expression she was in the all too common "NO PHOTOS of Josie" mood.

This is the Way Our Garden Grows

We had a few additions to our simple garden this year.  In preschool class, Josie planted 4 different types of seeds and made observations to see what changes they made.  After they sprouted in class she brought them home and was very diligent to keep the plants outside during the day and brought them in every night for about 10 days.  These were the instructions from her preschool teacher and unlike home she LOVES to follow instructions from school :)
I was doubtful that the sunflower would grow in our garden but we planted it anyway.
Needless to say, I was very wrong.  We watched with amazement as the sunflower grew taller and taller and then started to open up into this beautiful, tall, sunflower! In the end it was over 6 feet tall!
Her pumpkins sprouted several really good looking blooms but never produced a pumpkin.

Her sweet pea didn't really do much but her green bean produced probably 2-3 dozen beans.  Unfortunately, not all at the same time so every few days she would run in with 3 beans and we all had to eat one.

Our normal tomato garden is doing quite well.  Our first ripe tomato for the year.

 Picking and eating the tomatoes are one of the highlights of the day.  Home grown tomatoes are so much more flavorful than store bought.  I wish we could have them year-round.

Berries and Apples and Pies, Oh My!!

This year we picked berries!  And then we picked more berries and more berries, some apples and some plums too.
Our berry picking started with raspberries  at a farm out in Carnation on the hottest day of the year.  We went in the morning but it was HOT!


Josie was quite the picker and actually picked and collected more than she ate.  Marty on the other hand probably ate as much as he picked

Kids trying to stay in the shade while picking

They both thought the buckets around the neck thing was a great invention.

Stop taking pictures mom and get to picking!!

In the end we picked (and collected) 16 lbs.  Can you see how hot it is by looking at Josie!  Maybe the hottest day of the year was not the smartest choice to be working in the fields.We should have weighed Marty before we started picking. Something tells me that he ate several pounds of berries.  They were DELICIOUS right off the bush!!

We ate so many just fresh but I also made several raspberry/apple crisps and a bunch of raspberry jam.

The next berry up was blackberry.  I found a little spot just down the road from us that no one else had found.  I probably picked 8 pounds there.  One time the whole family came and while exploring the kids and Marty found a tree LOADED with apples.  It is in a no man's land area and not on anyone's property so we took advantage and picked a 5 gallon bucket full of wild, sweet apples. 

One of the several buckets that I filled with blackberries this summer. 

I made homemade applesauce and blackberry jam.

I also made blackberry/apple pie which was voted the best in the pie category.

The final berry we picked this summer was blueberry.  Apparently these were Benjamin's favorites.  They aren't normally but these were SO amazingly flavorful right off the bush.  It was also a warm day and Benjamin would pick a few and then just plop down and start eating and then he just stayed there and kept eating.  He must have eaten 2 lbs. while we were picking.

And to round off our summer fruit picking and baking, Oma and Opa gave us some of their freshly-grown rhubarb.  I just had to buy some strawberries to go with it to make a final strawberry/rhubarb pie. 

I will have a dessert menu for those coming to visit us over the year.  We literally have pies, crisps and applesauce loaded up in the freezer. 

Back to School Shopping

 I had the BEST day today with my little/big girl!!  We caught the bus downtown and went back-to-school shopping for her upcoming first year of kindergarten.
I have very fond memories of my mom taking me (and my 3 siblings each on individual trips) shopping for school clothes.  I don't know if I remember this correctly, if we did it every year or what the details of it were but whatever it was it sticks in my mind and is a very special memory.  (Thanks, Mom!!) so I wanted to do the same with my kids.  This year was the first year of hopefully many more trips downtown for new school clothes.

We got a lot for our money, especially since I had a couple left over Baby Gap gift cards, embarrassingly or proudly, depending on how you view it, from when Josie was a baby. Her big and favorite Gap purchase was this Hello Kitty hoodieShe started asking about lunch about 45 minutes after we arrived downtown...she is a lot like her dad that way.  Even given all of the downtown options, she choose "Old MacDonald's"  She has eaten at McDonald's probably a total of 8 times in her life and I'm thrilled that she still really thinks it is called that.  I have to say we look and sound a little "special" when we order as we don't ever know what comes in a happy meal and we have a lot of questions.  I think the average McDonald  customer knows the menu by heart. 

On the bus on the way home with her final treat in hand from Starbucks.  After we were done I suggested a treat for the ride home.  She asked me, "did Grandma buy you a treat on the way home"  I don't know if she did but obviously the whole experience was such a treat that I want to repeat it.

I honestly can't believe she will be starting kindergarten in a little over a week!  Where did the time go?  I already know the first day will be tear filled for me. Such a bittersweet time.

Summer Camp(s)

 We have been busy, busy, busy this summer.  In addition to the two weeks of swim lessons and acting camp earlier in the summer, Josie also had a week of soccer camp and one day camp at The Children's Museum.  Although Benjamin wasn't old enough to go to camp this year he was able to tag along and have some special mommy/son bonding time while big sister was at camp.
Josie and her friend,Will attended the UK International Soccer Camp.  Will's parents are actually from the UK the two of them had a "jolly good time" at camp.
Will's mom picked Josie up every morning and while Josie was getting into the car Benjamin would cry and say "I wanna go to camp, too, me too, NOT fair"  That was just about his direct quote every morning.  But around lunch time Benjamin and I would load up lunches and extra sunscreen  and water (it was probably our hottest week this summer) and head to pick Josie up.
Benjamin would "run the bases" and sit in the dug out, eat a snack and wait until Josie and Will were done.  Then we would all head over to the adjacent park for lunch and some play time.




Josie second in line hugging her red soccer ball, her friend Will in front of her taking a drink of water.

 This week Josie had a one day camp at Seattle Center at The Children's Museum.  So Benjamin and I headed up to a park on Queen Anne and kicked the soccer ball around and played until Josie was ready to be picked up .

 Benjamin gets what we've been calling "white man overbite" and then he gets this aggressive look and then starts hitting anything and everything in his path.  Here is the look, kind of.  There was a croquet mallet at the park and he starting pounding it on the top of a small wall.

After Josie's camp we ate lunch and hung out by the Seattle Center fountain.

 And after lunch the kids got the unprecedented treat of cotton candy.  Benjamin just kept saying "I'm sticky!!" and Josie kept making little balls with it and shoving it in her mouth saying "this is yummy!"

Wiley Family Farm

 We spent a couple days up in Bellingham at the Wiley's.  They live in what we would consider "the country" and the kids and I thoroughly enjoyed country living on the farm for awhile.
S'mores around the fire pit was a huge hit.

 Jon helping Benjamin put his s'more together.  Unfortunately, Benjamin only wanted the chocolate bar.

 Josie loved the whole s'more

 Oh, and Benjamin also liked the "mellows" and the crackers he just didn't like them all together

 Sweet Benjamin kissses

 Making cupcakes for her doll party.  A few months ago Josie was talking to Kim on the phone and she said she'd like throw a birthday party for her dolls.  Josie came up with an elaborate plan including spaghetti and meatballs and cupcakes.  Auntie Kim delivered on all of her requests.  Obviously, Josie was thrilled and has decided that every summer we will celebrate her dolls birthdays up at Kim's.

 The Wiley's don't necessarily live on a farm but for us Seattlites it kind of feels that way. They have chickens, a big garden and a lot of land.  Drew has a riding lawn mower, a dirt bike and access to a golf cart and mini tractor.  They loved "helping" him stack wood. 

 We went to the water slides in Birch Bay. 

 And even got an ice cream cone on the way out. 

 On the way home from the water slides we stopped by a camp Kim runs for migrant worker's kids.  Josie and Benjamin fit right in :) 

 Benjamin posing in Jon's shirt

 One last ride on the golf cart

 Blowing out the candles at the dolls' party

 Auntie Kim gave the kids presents at the party. One of the gifts in Benjamin's bag was caps (the kind you hit with a rock or a hammer and they pop) I haven't seen these in 35 years!!  Benjamin (with Drew's protective ear-wear) hits away

For only spending a couple of days up there we certainly fit a lot in.

Thanks for the wonderful time, Kim, Fred, Jon and Drew!  We will be back :)