Father's Day Weekend 2011--Part I

We went somewhere really fun yesterday to kick off our Father's Day weekend.

We loaded up in the car with lots of provisions to stay out late.

We had dinner under this fantastic big tree...

...at a quaint restaurant across the street from a house I couldn't help but covet and take pictures of.

Before heading to "the track" and waiting in line for tickets to...

...a place I will share in the next post just as soon as I can.

Gotta do some housework now so we can go swimming at a great outdoor pool we stumbled upon yesterday!

Stay tuned...

He's Back!!!

Big Brother is back in the house!

And our family once again complete!

Or is it? It caught me off guard that one of the first things Warren said once we all got loaded back in the car at the airport was "Mommy, when we get our new baby, Nolan can move into the bedroom with me and Jack, okay?"

Well, I am not pregnant. Another unsuccessful month on that front.

But seriously Roman Lucas or Violet June... whenever you're ready for us, apparently your whole big crazy family is already ready for you!

Warren also got all teary and choked up on the way home just because of being overwhelmed and happy to be home. I on the other hand bawled like a baby when I finally saw him walking off the plane, the last one of course just to build up the suspense and make a basket case out of me. I swear he grew 4 inches in the two weeks he was gone. I already unpacked his luggage and we all are enjoying the gifts he got each one of us. And he is already talking about his next trip to Alaska! He brought back so many new legos that suddenly maybe Jack is up for a similar trip :)

Can't wait to see what the future holds for us on so many fronts!

YESTERDAY

I stopped in to my thrift store on the way to get Jack, just because I had some extra time and only one kiddo in tow. Turned out to be such a good move!

Bryan and I had just been wondering aloud what we should get Nolan for his birthday.

Behold...

{My most expensive purchase ever from a thrift store. But this is a classic and in perfect shape. Looks brand new!}

Is it not the coolest thing ever?! I remember having one of these too and riding it like a wild woman. Since there was no way to keep Nolan from seeing me buy it and load it up, we already gave it to him. He has been going nuts on it and probably giving himself mild brain damage... just like I remember from my childhood.

Also picked up what I'm calling my new "fall dishes":

It wasn't all fun and games though, I did spend several hours working on the high chair project. The sanding is very difficult and exhausting.

I went and got a chemical liquid deglosser sander to take off the poly coat. Everyone tells me that I just need to get the existing poly coat off but don't need to sand past the existing stain, since I am staining it much darker. But, after getting all the shiny off of it and giving most of it one coat of stain yesterday, I'm not too happy with how uneven the stain is going on and how it is so much darker on scratches etc. No wonder I read that refinishing furniture is an art form. I am not an artist, that's for sure. You can see the original stain on the bottom portion and foot rest for comparison. I don't know...

If it was something I was doing for myself I would be fine with how it's turning out. But since it is a gift I am all crazy wanting it to be perfect. Good thing Bryan will be home today to give me a dose of sanity.

Warren comes home tomorrow! I have seriously gotten so much done these last couple of weeks and it has been an awesome start to the Summer, but I so want all my ducklings back under one roof now.

I've got a feeling...

...that our new old-school desks are gonna be with us for a looooong time.

{I just love them SO much!}

I can actually envision grandchildren sitting in them coloring years and years from now, much like Nolan did while his big brother worked away at the neighboring desk.

{I swear he was so happy until that bite of crayon didn't quite meet his expectations.}

Jack was working so intently that he wasn't the least bit bothered by my shutter capturing him from all angles.

Our sunny loft with four windows is going to be an excellent homework/reading hub once I get it organized and move some things around and maybe even repaint the walls...

Jack is just too darn cute sitting in his desk!

I just love the cubby space underneath where I'll have them store their supply boxes and notebooks.

Okay, so I gotta brag on my boy... not even in Kindergarten yet and he can write pretty good I must say. What's more important I suppose is that he has the desire to learn and tremendous focus and determination for everything he does. He is going to do so well in school this year!

{Jack's report on King Cobra Snakes. Love his overly dotted i's and funky g's.. he's got his own style already!}

I've been thinking a lot lately (or maybe just having only one kid has allowed me to actually acknowledge my thoughts??) about the type of family we are. Wondering what makes us... us. What will stand out in our kids' memories. What our family dynamic/culture is.

I know my kids won't recall my cooking (we are much more of an eat to live rather than live to eat bunch and my cooking definitely reflects that) but maybe they will recall healthy small portions and lots of vegetables?? Or maybe they won't. I hope they see how hard Bryan and I work, how hands on we are, that we are constantly doing. I hope they see how affectionate we are, how we hold on tight, but also let go sometimes (like letting them go to Alaska at age 7!). I hope the little quirky traditions and saying we have are what make us unique and that is not lost on them. I don't know where this is coming from or even where I am going with it. But I'm glad I have lots more years to make an impression on them, love on them with all I have, and mold them into great men before setting them loose out into the world.

The other day...

...we went to the airport near our house in our county to eat breakfast at the restaurant there overlooking the runway.

Nolan fell asleep on the way there and remained so in his stroller throughout our meal.

Jack sat extra close to me and we had a

snuggly

talkative

silly (gosh he has the most beautiful BRIGHT blue eyes!)

deliciously soaked in syrup kind of morning.

The end.

What we've been up to:

I have been so good about bringing my camera everywhere we go... but unfortunately not so good with actually using it. Alas, they are all cell phone pictures... but here is what we have been doing the last few days...

[installing new screen door on patio door- no more flies coming in while the kids are out playing!]

[bowling with neighbor buddies]

[thrift store shopping for all the school clothes... oh yes, I DO ROCK!]

[also picked up one of my favorite thrift store finds of all times. These desks are so much more spectacular in person. Gonna set up a homework zone in the loft. It is gonna be sweet!]

[oh yes, I already have their outfits for the first day of school. Cute!]

[drove to Estes Park this morning to hang out and also check out the YMCA there for our trip later this Summer. Hoping to rent one of their little cabins for a few nights.]

[Also got this fantastic high chair at my thrift store, which I'll be refinishing and gifting to my good friend for her little daughter.]

[oh and here is what Warren has been up to most recently, in addition to hitting an indoor water park, going on bike rides, and visiting the Alaska Club with Grandma.]

Well, now I'm all caught up here! Jack is going down to Grandma Caryl's house for a few days starting tomorrow so I will only have ONE child. That almost never happens. Doing Supper Solutions this week, mailing and delivering Nolan's birthday invites, and a couple other projects before Warren comes back home on Saturday morning.

Mary, Mary quite contrary...?

Well not quite a full-fledged garden but strawberries and tomatoes are all we really want anyhow, so we're keeping it pretty simple.

Having a super productive week and also taking Jack and Nolan for a fun outing each day- play dates at the park, early movie dates, swimming, and maybe even the zoo this weekend.

Just generally happy and loving our summer so far. It's shaping up to be a good one!

ANCHORAGE

It's such a fitting name for the place I was born, where my roots are, and where most of my family still resides.

And I love that at our local promenade (where we were last night on a family date night), one of the locations highlighted on a huge compass is Anchorage... my home, and the place where a huge piece of my heart is right now.

iPhone pics of late

When I find myself without much to say (which isn't often, ha!) I just thumb through the most recent pictures on my phone and instantly recall little things I had forgotten about, which may not have garnered a DSLR picture, but are nonetheless beautiful/funny/heartwarming.

[got this book from the library the other day. I so remembered this book from my childhood and was so excited to read it to the boys. It was just as funny getting their take after the book on what had happened to Miss Nelson.. they didn't quite get it the first go-round. But for sure one of my favorite things about being a parent is getting to share things from my own childhood with my littles.]

[we had a "date night" last night. Went downtown to McCormick's for wild Alaskan halibut and salmon. mmmm. Took a dorky picture of ourselves on the way home. I like my teeth, probably one of my favorite physical things about me. I like Bryan's hair right now, he is wearing it a bit longer than normal and it's got some nice wave going on. We got carded at dinner ordering our beers. Funny. I really need to clean the lens part of my iPhone camera that faces forward. Yuck, it is filthy!]

[I call this one dueling baba's. Watched the girls yesterday for a bit and Nolan and his little friend had to lay on the sofa and drink milk together. So cute! You can see the Sponge Bob lego set Jack built recently...]

[Bonus points if you can actually read the little "report" Jack wrote on Polar Bears yesterday. We are in full tilt with Summer academics and he is soaking it up so far. Each day we do a science unit, which for now consists of studying an animal of his choice and then writing a few sentences on what he learned (today is Nile Crocodiles and I learned probably just as much as he did!), also a math sheet and a letter/word/spelling worksheet. He is really proud to whole punch his work, slap a sticker on it and put it in his binder when he's done. And of course he has to show the binder to Daddy each evening, giving a detailed description of what he did. So far so good! Gonna implement the same types of things with Warren when he gets back.]

Well, that's all for now.  I have a busy day of getting things done like gathering up Warren's paperwork for football, arranging to do Supper Solutions, printing Nolan's birthday invites, going to the library,.. the usual!

Meanwhile...

...here on the home front, little brothers are having lots of fun too!

Jack is making short work of his wish list of activities this week, and Nolan is all too happy to be his little sidekick through it all.

So great for these two to spend more time together, just them belly flopping into the blow up kiddie pool on a hot day.

It has been good for Jack to get to be the big kid for a change. I'd say it suits him pretty well, although he is missing Warren already.

Speaking of Warren, he got to ride the tram at Alyeska yesterday and starts Wilderness Survival Camp today. Can't wait to hear all about his first day!

LOVE

We love our neighborhood, teeming with little ones who we all agree are growing up too fast, keeping us on our toes, and just generally being way too adorable.

{Nolan and two of his neighbor buddies yesterday at our annual neighborhood BBQ, which of course extends into beer pong on our patio with a fire pit and music and kiddos up way past their bedtime providing entertainment for the adults into the wee hours.}

[photos courtesy of the middle-boy's Mama!]

Yeah, our boy is the crazy one behind the wheel. What did you expect?

***

Warren has settled right in at his Grandparents house in Anchorage. Here are a couple pictures I have received so far. I also hear he got a freestyle bmx bike yesterday and a bunch of legos for his birthday celebration up there. We have been able to do FaceTime with him several times, which is just about the coolest thing ever. Nolan especially is taken with the whole thing and squeals and kisses the screen when he sees his biggest brother.

{Shooting his new bow and arrow}

{bb gun practice time with Grandpa Bruce}

Jack and I sat down and made a list of several special things he would like to do as well while Warren is away. We can already scratch building the Sponge Bob pineapple set off the list and are about to fill up the little pool too today. He is such an easy-going kid!

"Letting Go"

What do they say... "it's the hardest thing to do"?

Those words were ringing in my head as I watched Warren board the plane bound for Anchorage like he'd done it 500 times, so confident and excited. Not a care in the world.

{Goofing off at DIA before going through security with just Mom. See how Jack forgot to wear shoes... yeah we don't think he's quite ready for a big trip like this for a while ;)}

He is going to have an amazing trip! And truly once I got the word from my Mom that he had landed and was safely in her arms late last night, my body relaxed and I was finally able to be more excited for him. I can't wait to hear all about it and read his vacation journal when he gets home.

Today he is going to an indoor water park and to the shooting range with Grandpa Bruce. I think they are going hiking on Sunday and then he starts Wilderness Survival Camp on Monday.

I am SO incredibly proud of Warren! It takes a lot of gusto for a newly minted seven year old to get on a plane and travel 2399 miles away. He is a very confident, secure kiddo so we must be doing something right!

**update: Just did FaceTime with him this morning and my Mom said the pilot walked out with him last night to commend him on being such a good flyer and said he could tell he was being raised well. We are beaming!

June 1

Happy Birthday to the

smartest

most energetic

best big brother

silliest boy I know.

Seven years ago, you made me a Mother. 

I will spend the rest of my life thanking you for that!

We love you, Warren. 

You are a one of a kind awesome kid, 

and now a big second-grader too! 

Slow down time... :)