Gazing

There is never a dull moment watching the animals out our back windows at the park.  And I never get tired of watching my kids, either.  Just had to capture the moment.

Just Hanging Out

Today we are just "hanging out".  Sometimes that is our favorite thing to do.  Allie loves to draw with a pencil on paper, Tyler likes playing computer games and Justin loves to read in his favorite chair with a snack.  Oh, and I like to take pictures. :)  Here are some of my favorites from today:

One of the big kids now!

Tyler had his good friend, Jack Flynn, over to play today.  Allie had to get right in the middle of their battle.  I loved that the boys let her join in with them and have a sword fight.  So fun!

Take us to the park, Dad!

So Mom can have a break. :)

Perfect Day on Mt. Hood

Amber

My older sister, Amber, had a major stroke this past Sunday morning. She is in ICU and we aren't sure what her recovery will look like.

Amber is 38 years old (18 months older than me) and has 7 children ranging in age from 13 to 2.

We are holding a special fast for her beginning this evening after dinner through tomorrow. Please feel free to join in if you are able to.

Unconditional

Today Justin came in to my bedroom as I was sitting on the edge of my bed. Yes, I was reading a web page on my phone. He sat next to me and had a sly grin on his face. I put my phone to the side and put my arm around him.

"What's up, Buddy?"
He laid back horizontally on the bed and said, "Mom, you know how for the past five years I have been trying to think of the word to describe how much I love you?"
"Yes, I remember." It's true, he really has been searching for just the right word.
"Well, I found it! Unconditional. I even did a happy dance when I found it!"
Tears sprang to my eyes.
"Thank you so much, Justin! That is the nicest thing to ever tell your Mom."
I gave him a hug.
"That is how I feel about you, too."
He smiled and said, "I know."
Best. Feeling. Ever.

While you were traveling...

"Say cheese! Get a picture! "(While pointing her play phone at me)

I said daddy is on a trip. "Daddy go camping!"

"Need Dad!" Crying over and over as I am trying to get her ready for bed.

Happy Birthday to our 2-year-old Allie!

Wow! I can hardly believe Allie is 2 years old already! Amazing how time has flown by. We celebrated her 2nd birthday with several firsts for the majority of our family. The biggest one is that we finished our first 5k race! Intel sponsored a family 5k/10k at the Hillsboro Stadium Complex.

The boys had swimming lessons in the morning at the Harewood Pool over at the old Jackson School House near our old neighborhood. Afterwards, we hurried over to the Intel campus for a tour bus ride to the stadium. Tyler called it an "airplane bus" because he was in awe over the nice seats, overhead storage and rear bathroom. It was fun to see the boys so amazed with their first luxury bus ride.

At the stadium, we lined up at the starting line and waited for our turn to take off. We had such a great time. We jogged a little, walked together and then Travis ran ahead with the boys as I followed behind with Allie sleeping in the stroller. My favorite part was walking hand-in-hand with my two boys in either side of me and Travis pushing Allie in front of us. That moment is frozen in my heart.

Allie and I crossed the finish line to the cheering of our biggest fans. What a wonderful birthday present for our sweet girl!

After a BBQ lunch, Allie tried her first snow cone. Of course she loved it! But to ride the bus again back to our car was the icing on her cake. She sure loves buses.

Since it was hot outside, we decided to go out for frozen yogurt instead of birthday cake at home. The kids loved their first visit to Twist. I think Allie loved the gummy bears on top best!

We swung by our new favorite Chinese restaurant, Joy Wok, on our way home.

Here are some cute things she does:

Sings "Happy Birthday to (fill-in-the-blank)" starting with family members and ending with happy birthday to the soccer ball and the backyard.

Points out the "Mommy" dog, "Allie" dog, etc., whenever she sees a mommy and a baby animal or human.

"Where Mommy go?" "Right here!". (Giggles). "Allie go?" "Right here!" (Giggles)

We love our sweet Allie!

One more month to go...I can't believe it!

A month's worth of cuteness all packaged up in one blog post. I'm sure we are barely scratching the surface, really. Allie is our spunky, happy 23-month-old girl! Here are the first things that jumped out in my memory of this past week:

Tonight I counted out loud to bore her to sleep...she only made it to 150! Ha!

Allie loves to dance to and can sing along with "Dynamite" by Tao Cruise and "The Weekend Whip" by The Fold.

Likes to request the song "Twinkle Bells" at bedtime. (Jingle Bells)

She wants Daddy to put her to bed at night and sing to her. She cried today when I tried to do it. Yes, I feel so loved.

Allie loves dresses, necklaces, purses and shoes. She's all girl!

The other day I was painting my toenails. She was so curious and kept asking, "Mommy doing?" When I said I was painting my toenails pink, she immediately sat down and scooted her toes next to mine. Adorable! I know what this girl is getting for her birthday!

Daily, she gets all decked out in my slip-on shoes and any purse, lunch box or backpack (Ideally all three!). She goes around saying "Bye! See you! Have fun!" to everyone. I ask her where she is going and she replies, "Go truck!" She's on her way! Now heaven help us when she learns to open the door to the garage. Ha!


When I sign "I love you!", she copies the sign and we tough finger tips. Melts me!