Happy Birthday, America!

We had a fun Fourth over in Lake Oswego with John, Debra, Brian & Amanda. So much fun that I really didn't take any pictures! We were first happy to have B & A stop over at our house; then we all headed over together on Friday morning. Good times! We love Aunt Amanda! Oh, and of course, the ever-fun Uncle Brian.

The actual holiday was celebrated by the traditional ward breakfast, followed by a fun trip over to family friends, the Johnstons. I loved meeting Peter's high school buddy, Lis. She is a gem. Then we took it easy in the afternoon with games and naps, barbecued, and did our own little fireworks in front of the house. To top it off, we took a walk down to the lake and watched the town show. Beautiful, but even more intriguing was watching the million boats head back to shore after the show. The rest of our time there included lots of fun with Bohnanza, Badminton, Slip n' Slide, Bouncy Balls, a girls' trip to Lakeshore Learning (danger!), Go Karts, Miniature Golf, Settlers, and Pilfering (ask John). Thanks, Stewarts, for a FABULOUS FOURTH!!

Snips & Snails

The boys are way into collecting bugs this summer - especially spiders.

Here they are with their FIVE bug catchers and respective pet arachnids (I've relinquished my tupperware to their cause).

And here they are exploring the deep.

Camping at Ohanapecosh

We had great fun last weekend camping with our friends, the Amundsons. It was Parker & Tyler's first time camping, and they loved it! Favorite memories included picking dogwoods, finding banana slugs, a little mouse visitor eating our cherry pits, and the hikes! The campground & trails were BEAUTIFUL & we can't wait to go back!

This was serious vampire country.

Grove of the Patriarchs - the kids taking in the massivity of a 1,000 year old tree.

Happy Campers!

Mi Feliz Cumpleanos

A darling picnic basket - complete with a bandanna lining.

Did you think I was going to pass that up?

Thank you, Target! They have a million other cute bandanna-themed items that I am still drooling over.

A delicious peanut butter & chocolate concoction - made by my main squeeze.

And my dream bike! With a trailer to boot.

I'm thinking of adding white peonies to the front of the basket.

Thanks to my friends & family who helped me feel so celebrated & special! Love you!

The Kindergarten Graduate

Today was Parker's kindergarten end of the year picnic!! I am so happy that he has had such a fun, successful year with a fabulous teacher and friends he loves! Here he is with his buddies (from left to right) Caden, Tyler, and best buddy Connor!

Bandanna Fever!

So, if you run into me this summer, you will see me looking like this...

EVERYDAY.

I have a bandanna fettish. I love them. I have them in every color imaginable, they keep my head from getting sunburnt and they make me feel cute. I even got approval from a biker chick at Costco, who when she saw me, gave me the thumbs up and said "Sweeeet colors!"

Max-a-million

I am lucky enough to get to babysit this munchkin. He fits right in with the boys and we love having a baby around. Don't you just want to eat him for breakfast?

The Garden

We heart our vegetable garden. Before this year, I was a gardening virgin. And now I feel like a first-time parent, calling all of my gardening friends and researching on the internet over every little thing! It's so fun to visit it together every morning and evening and see the little changes that are inevitably taking place each day - sometimes each hour! We started in early May and here is how it has progressed...

These are shots of the initial setup - boxes, then newspaper cover, then dirt! The boys loved helping haul the soil in their little wheelbarrows!

I regret not having taken pictures of our initial plantings (my fingers were a little dirty!), but here is what it looked like about 3 weeks afterward.

And the following pictures were taken last week...

Our lovely lettuce!

The Pepper Patch - red, yellow & green

From left to right - watermelon, celery, blackberries, raspberries, my herbs and our mammoth zucchini & yellow squash (I promise they have doubled their size since last week!)

Our five different kinds of tomatoes - brandywine, roma, grape, yellow pear & early girl. I've got parsley in there somewhere...hiding...

Our wee, baby beets...we've got carrots near them, but I forgot to get a shot of those.

green onion & globe onion...

Our strawberry patch...looking a little sad this year, but hopefully we'll get more next year...

Bush beans, sugar snap peas, cantaloupe & cucumbers! We've also planted a sunflower/daisy garden along the fence, and can't wait to see them bloom.

Tyler Turns Three

Although you will still find him in diapers (eek) and with the occasional binkie in his mouth, our baby is certainly not a baby anymore! Tyler turned three in March and is, as always, keeping us on our toes (and in our running shoes). He is our Teeny Little Super Guy.

For his birthday, we were lucky enough to have Grandma & Grandpa Brown come to celebrate with us. We had a train cake (that he helped me decorate) and lots of fun presents. We love our T-Bone!

Tyler's three-year-old self:

Height & Weight: 36 inches and 31 pounds

Obsessions: watching the bathtub drain, sneaking food, his bike, his scooter, CANDY, giving zerberts, and pulling on your earlobes when you snuggle him.

Must-haves: Don't look at him while he is sneaking into anything or going #2, his binkie during a "past-the-point-of-no-return" tantrum, water (NOT milk), buckling himself into his carseat, quick 5-second hugs every 30 minutes or so, and Little Einsteins.

Favorite Foods: Goldfish, popcorn, hot chocolate, CANDY, graham crackers, and cheese pizza.

Favorite Song: "Wheels on the Bus"

Nicknames: T-Bone, Teebs, T, Stinky Cheese

Hair Style: Getting more manageable - although still a fuzz-head.

Favorite toys: Cars, trains, Pat-pat rocket, balls, the swingset, his bike & scooter.

Favorite pasttimes: playing "good guy, bad guy," playing outside or in the garage, throwing things and overall mischief-making.

Smile: an infectious, mischievious, slightly bucky smile.

Favorite words/phrases: "You're a loud-mouthed shnook!"; thank you, mommy, for this....; DON'T DO IT!; i love you, mommy/daddy; Parker, look at....!; cool.

He amazes us with: His speed; his vocabulary; his hilarious giggle; his athletic ability; his love and admiration for Parker, his daddy and his grandparents; and his zest for life.

The Graduation

Even though he technically graduated last December, Peter and I returned to Lawrence, Kansas in May so that he could walk with the rest of his cohort at graduation. We left the boys with my parents (thanks, guys!) and met up with Peter's parents and his brother, Jared, and fam in the Midwest. It was so fun spending time with them!

The 2009 Clinical Child Psychology Graduates (with program director, Michael Roberts)

We had fun seeing old friends. It was very cool that he graduated with two of his great friends there, RJ Rowley and Jon Thayn. I, of course, was happy to meet up with their wives and two of my great friends, Debbi & Rachel!

We had a great time visiting our much-missed Mass Street, and of course hitting up the Cheesecake Factory and Jack Stack's in Kansas City.

For his graduation gift, I got him a grill - every man's dream come true. Congrats, my love!