Welcome Evan!

Welcome to this world, little Evan Patrick! Another cousin for the kids this week, Auntie Kate had her third child, brave woman, and he looks like such a cherub! Isn't it written somewhere that if your parents are kind enough to have a third child that you must be an angel? Let's hope so, as my dearest friend Wendi is about to have her third as well.

Babies, babies, everywhere! It's good medicine for mamas like me who are all done having our own. Kisses, Evan, and we hope to meet you soon!

Pop

My honey was such a super dad, giving me a whole weekend to be with the girls, scrapbook, chat, and play! But even on an ordinary weekend, he'll tote the kids to the in-laws for the day so I can have the house to myself for reading, supercleaning, movies, or scrapbooking. He walks them down the beach or takes them on a hike, totes them on the bike or-and for this I double commend him- takes them somewhere that I refuse to go, like the Family Fun Center or Wild Waves. My poor kids would never visit these amusement parks because dear Mommy can't stand the crowds, noise, and chaos. But dear ol' dad will give them a handful of quarters for games, let them crash into him on the bumper cars track, pull them on the bike, and stop for ice cream along the way.

Love you, honey.

Ah, Summer!

Who doesn't love the simplicity of summer? Eating outside means no mess, the beach down the street means no running to and fro to entertain the kids, and the bright, cheery sun means no blues!

While You Were Out:

And in case this doesn't say it all...

We had a first ballet recital...

A first smore....

A proud boy that's finished with diapers, and nearly finished with tantrums (Mommy hopes)...

A girl that turned 6...

And graduated from Kindergarten.
Geesh! And it's only July!

Dates to Remember

This is a darling book I made at a free class at Mad Scrapper in Issaquah last night. I hired a teenaged babysitter to give Ethan and I date night each Wednesday this summer, and I celebrated the first one without him! He didn't seem to mind, he didn't have to rush home and he got an extra gym visit in. So this cute book got my creative juices flowing, and now I have to stock it with some hand-made cards. Hmmm, haven't made any in a while....

Love these two.

Girl time.

Carsen & I shared our first pedicure together, and it was so frivolous and sweet to have this little time. She's been looking so big lately, and while this is a real indulgence and not at all necessary, I can see that a little pampering can be thoroughly enjoyed by her just as well as her mama. It was the short version, a little soak, a ticklish rub, and the outrageous colors of our choice. The perfect girl date.