Violet's swimming lessons

Violet finished her first session of swim lessons (at Swim America) last Monday! I am so proud of how far she's come. The first day of lessons, back in February, she screamed 25 of the 30 minutes, would not get in the water, not even sit on the edge with her feet in! In a short four months she has become much more comfortable in the water, blowing bubbles, going all the way under, opening her eyes in her goggles to look for rings on the bottom of the pool, and generally having fun in the water! She is still pretty nervous about laying on her back, but she'll get there. She passed Level 2 (Bubbles) on the last day of class and got to ring the bell as well as get a medal. Good job Violet! Ringing the bell with her friend, Faith. Look at my pretty medal!

Visiting my nephew

This past weekend I was able to fly to Portland to meet my new nephew, Clark! I had a great three days relaxing with Ben, Alli, and Clark and enjoying the fabulous sunny weather! We also enjoyed the cool evenings, along with the fact that there is light until well past 9 o'clock! We walked around the neighborhood Saturday night, and through Tualatin Hills Nature Preserve on Sunday night. Clark loved the walks, promptly falling asleep because of the motion! Monday we headed into downtown Portland to wander, enjoying the sights, sounds and tastes of the city! After grabbing lunch at a food cart on Alder Street we headed to Pioneer Square to sit, enjoy our lunch, the sun, and general people watching. After eating our lunch I found the real reason for visiting Pioneer Square, Caleb's brick. Grief is an emotion that I rarely understand...its swells, its power, its changes. But no matter my comprehension of how it works, its presence guides us to do things that sometimes others don't understand in order to "work through it". Yet Ben and Alli were gracious enough to take me to see Caleb's brick and "introduce" my first real nephew to my first adopted nephew. Thank you Ben and Alli for letting me do that...
Even more meaningful was that I got to do this on Memorial Day. I thought of all the mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and children whose loved ones' names are etched in war memorials all over our country. What a powerful memory the written name evokes.... We enjoyed the rest of our day wandering around the city and down the waterfront, with a stop-in at VooDoo Donuts for a Portland favorite (basically a Boston cream donut but with a face on it). Clark even enjoyed his Blazer blunt (just kidding)! Thanks Ben and Alli for hosting me for the weekend! And a huge thank you to Janice, James & Marcy, and Aaron & Christa for helping Randy with the kids while I was gone. I couldn't have done it without you!

STOMP

Last night Randy and I took Audrey and Isaac to go see STOMP. This was their birthday present (aside from their fun parties). They had a great time! Randy and I took Audrey when the production came through Fresno in 2004, and were equally impressed the second time! We started the evening with dinner at one of their favorite restaurants too...Ginza Gourmet Teriyaki. They got to dress up and felt very special! Isaac laughed, clapped along, jumped out of his chair, and oohed and aahed through most of the drumming. Audrey's enthusiasm was more subdued, but noticeable none the less. What a great way to finish their birthday celebrations!

Isaac's birthday celebrations

This week was a blur of fun! Not all the events of the week were specifically for Isaac, but I'm sure they made him feel like this week was special all the same. Last Saturday our family attended a Dodgers game in Los Angeles. This was our first time going with the whole family and the kids did great considering it's a 4 hour drive, a 3 hour game, then a 4 hour drive back. Lots of sitting! But completely worth it to see the Dodgers beat the Giants 8-0. Last Sunday was Mother's Day. We had a very relaxing day. Randy and the kids made me breakfast and then we headed to church together. After the church service we went to Chipotle for lunch, home for a quick nap, then out to Oso de Oro park for some play time before dinner. I had asked Randy to take some pictures of the kids as my Mother's Day present, so he brought along all his camera equipment and took a bunch of shots as the kids were playing. He's such a great photographer! I wish there was room to post all of them but I'll just post my favorites of each kid (the photo of Isaac on the last post was taken by Randy on Mother's Day). Our dinner for Mother's Day was strawberry waffles. Not waffles with strawberries on top, strawberry waffles. We made up our own recipe and they were quite good! With a little bit of butter and syrup and bacon on the side, it was a great end to our day! I, like my mom, love breakfast foods at any time of day! And for my kids to request waffles for dinner was like a present in itself...and a powerful reminder that my kids are learning from even the smallest things I do. I am so thankful for my amazing husband and wonderful children and pray that God will help me live with them graciously and patiently in the day-to-day routine, remembering that they are gifts from Him! As if Saturday and Sunday weren't fun enough, the week days were packed! Monday we were back to school/work routine, but went to Randy's mom's house for dinner and some fun in the backyard (the weather was just great last week)! Tuesday was Isaac's actual birthday, so we took cupcakes to school for him to share with his friends the last few minutes of class, and we went to Round Table for dinner (Isaac's choice). They do "Family Night" every Tuesday night, serving salad, breadsticks, pizza and dessert all buffet style for one price. And there's free face-painting (or arm-painting as you can see) and balloons for the kids. Randy's mom and the Wiens family joined us too! What a fun night! And to end the week, Isaac's kindergarten class went out to "the farm" at the Clovis East high school campus on Friday morning. The kids learned how to use a hammer, rope a cow, milk a cow, feed a pig, and a couple other things too! This was just one of many Fridays that my friend Marcy watched Violet so that I could be a part of Isaac's class! Truly, I can't thank her enough for being such a help with my kids...but a good way to start was to remember HER birthday, which landed on that same day! We celebrated that afternoon with some swimming in their backyard and some popsicles. Oh what moms have to do to fit in a party sometimes! Friday night Randy and I were able to get off on our own while Grandma Arlene kept the kids (giving Isaac yet ANOTHER reason to celebrate with dinner, rock painting, movie watching and popcorn eating...all at Grandma's...the BEST)! My friend Myra was also celebrating her birthday and we met some friends for dinner at Veni Vedi Veci's in the Tower. What a gorgeous night to eat in their patio! We had a fantastic time relaxing with great food and company, celebrating another year of friendship with Myra.

Saturday was Isaac's party. Isaac requested a LEGO theme this year for his 6th birthday. Randy and I had a fun time coming up with invites, games, cakes, and more to go with Isaac's theme. The party went amazing well...considering there were 10 little boys, 6 and younger, here for the party! It helped to start the boys out with a handful of LEGOs in a bag of their own. They were told they got to keep all the LEGOs they collected in their bag during the party. The boys were awarded LEGOs for all kinds of things...sitting quietly, waiting their turn, trying hard at a task, throwing their plate away after the snack, etc. It was great! Randy set up this picture for Isaac's invitations. Team tower building. Randy measuring to see who built the tallest one!
Playing pin the hat on the LEGO man. The table set with cupcakes made by me, decorated by Randy. Also, see to the right the jar full of LEGOs. The boys each took a guess at how many LEGOs were in the jar. A close-up of the LEGO men. Isaac blowing out his candle on his I cupcake. More building. All the boys with their "monsters" they created.

WOW! What a week! Happy Birthday Isaac!

Happy Birthday Isaac!

Wow, what a year! You've gained five pounds, grown four inches, lost four teeth, started kindergarten, learned to swim, learned to read and write, learned to crank a golf ball the length of a football field, started learning karate, and, what more did I forget? Oh, most recently, you fell out of of a tree and put a big gash in the back of your head that sent you to the ER for eight staples. It's been a busy year for you Isaac! And what are my favorite memories of you for the year? Well...after finding the candy you hide under your bed, picking up all the tiny LEGOs you scatter throughout the house and stash in your pockets everywhere we go, deciphering which stories you tell are true and which are big fat lies (refer to the finger incident as school here, which was a hoax), and keeping you from stashing Lucy in the play fridge or getting too rough with your little sister, I love YOU! All these things, as challenging and frustrating as they may be on a daily basis, make life with you unforgettable! This past year I loved reading with you, playing with you, tucking you in bed with prayers and kisses, riding the train with you, cooking with you, and on and on and on! Happy Birthday Isaac!

All of a sudden...

Violet is a big girl. She lets me know this all the time with her constant reply, "I do it myself." But she really can do most things herself these days...seemingly, all of a sudden. She has gotten herself dressed for a couple months now. But in the last few days she has (1) learned that she can reach all the light switches in the house, turning them on AND off, (2) slept through the night and woken up DRY over seven nights straight, (3) buckled herself in her seatbelt (although I always check it before we actually drive), (4) let me know that she can do all her potty stuff herself, "No wiping, Mom", and (5) fed and brushed Lucy everyday. This last one really makes her feel like a big girl since I am putting her in charge of someone else. She really makes me proud! I love seeing my kids learn new things and taking the initiative to be responsible and self-sufficient. Of course, I also love the glimpses of infancy that show up every once in a while too. Like last night when Violet called me into her room, half-awake, to "Rock me, Mommy", pleading with her arms outstretched. And knowing full well, from all these big girl things she's doing, that these moments are fleeting, I took a few minutes to scoop her up, rock her, and kiss her about a dozen times before tucking her back in, telling her I love her, and going back to bed myself.

Isaac update

Just wanted to let you all know that Isaac's head is healing very well! After having his staples in a mere 9 days, they were taken out last Tuesday. He still has a small scab, and his hair seems to be parting around it, but the scar should be small. Thanks to all of you that were praying for Isaac, sent him a card, or checked in on him via phone, email, or in person.