If You Give A PreSchooler A Camera Phone

If you give a pre-schooler a camera phone, he will take a picture of your elbow during dinner.  Then he will realize just how fun snapping photos can be! 

So he'll gather all of his friends together for a group shot.  

Some of the friends will want separate portraits done. 

So he'll come up with fancy poses and give each of his friends awesome individualized attention.  

Some of the friends may get out of hand, and try some unsavory poses, 

so the pre-schooler will go back to good clean group shots. 

He'll take pictures from dawn 'til dusk, which will remind him that he's hungry.

So he'll take a picture of his dad making dinner.  

Low blood sugar makes the room look all  s w i m m y.  

After dinner, he will have a new focus, and expand his subject material to include not just stuffed, but also plastic, friends! 

With a full belly and the phone in hand, he's ready to move on to bigger and better photos...like ones of the neighbors!  

Look out world, a pre-schooler near you knows how to use his mom's camera phone!  

Still Practicing

Remember this video from about two years ago, when I said that Andrew was practicing for a career advertising Life Alert necklaces?

Well, apparently, he has decided to continue on that career path.  Here's a video from last week.  The poor kid couldn't walk at all - was having a terrible time - and then suddenly, miraculously even, he was able to stand and stomp away!  It was highly reminiscent of the "I can't get up, mom!"  episode.

I'm really glad that he has remained consistent in his professed career choice.  I think it'll be advantageous for him in the future.  By the time he is an adult and ready to hit the work force, he'll surely have these skills sufficiently fined-tuned enough to be the preferred candidate for the next generation of commercials!  Fame and fortune (at least in the over 80 sector), here we come!

What'cha Up To?

Holy Toledo!  Has it really been almost 3 weeks since I last wrote a blog entry?  Wow.  Where has the time gone?  I know I've had lapses before, but this was one big hiatus.  Sorry about that.  We've been busy, and I've apparently been uninspired.  I'll try to fix that.

So what's been going on?

Well, my mom had a birthday party for my grandfather, who turned 84 in September.

Looking good for an old man, no?

No cake is complete without beer candles! 

The Andrew grand kids...and we threw in Justin for good measure! 

The boys

Brynn, looking sweetly devilish

We took a hike up Chimney Rocks one day, which was nice.  It's too bad we probably won't have a chance to do it again in October, when the leaves are in full grandeur.  It really is the best view of Hollidaysburg.

You can see my parents' house from here, which even after 25 years, I still enjoy doing every time we go up!  

Jacob had his tonsils and adenoids out on the 4th.  He did amazingly well.  I was a little worried when the nurse sprayed him with the topical anesthetic and he screamed like a banshee.  We almost had to restrain him to get the I.V. in, but luckily that was the worst part of the day.  He made it through surgery and has started off his recovery like a real trooper!  The FDA just changed their guidelines (on the 3rd) so that they no longer recommend prescribing narcotics for children who undergo surgery.  Bad timing for Jacob, to say the least.  They would only give him Tylenol and Motrin for pain, which I thought was incredibly barbaric, but he managed through just fine.  He has some pain, but he's been drinking like there's no tomorrow, which is fantastic, because we were told that keeping the throat moist was the key to an easy recovery.  Thankfully, Jacob is good about following doctor's orders.  I'm very proud of him.  He's been a great patient so far.  He even felt well enough to go to the movies today, and he ate Milk Duds for his movie snack - yikes!

Greg made a shit-pile of sauerkraut today with his brother and his buddy, Cheese.  Last year they made 200 pounds.  This year, they made 600!  That's a heck of a lot of cabbage! But we'll be happy for all his hard work when we have homemade kraut throughout the winter!

Look at all them heads!

Andrew tried a new look.  Thankfully, it was a short-lived obsession:

We went to see Hotel Translyvania, which was really cute.  Andrew took his 3-D glasses very seriously:

The Williams family Steeler parties are also well under way.  Greg's parents had one a few weeks ago. My sister-in-law, Dalann is having one tomorrow, and there are several more scheduled in the near future.   We've had several other parties too, one here, and a few at friends' places.  In fact, we are heading over to my neighbors' house tonight for a little get together (just as soon as Andrew gets his mood straightened out!)  

While I was in the hospital with Jake, I finished addressing my Christmas cards.  I also finished my Christmas shopping, at least for the kids.  I still have to buy for the adults in my life, but the kids are really the biggest hurdle to get over for the holidays.  Before you jump and say something like, "how can you do things so far in advance?" let me tell you this: Yes, I do this in part because of my type-A personality, but also because I hate the holiday season.  I hate the crowds in the stores.  I hate the rush of the season, and most of all, I hate Christmas music.  I always find myself terribly depressed during span of time between the beginning of November and New Year's day.  The holidays are great in a lot of ways.  I enjoy spending time with family.  I love seeing the excitement in my kids' (and Greg's!) eyes, but it also just really gets me down.  Maybe it's partly my job, which brings those who are less fortunate to the forefront over the holidays.  I think about people who don't have a thing, and that makes me feel guilty about what I have and sad for their deficits.  I also think a lot about my grandmother.  I have so many fond Thanksgiving and Christmas memories from my childhood, but thinking about them doesn't always make me happy.  It often makes me very sad.  I have found that if I get my shopping and Christmas prep done before the thick of the holiday season, it minimizes that emptiness.  So, for whatever reason, I plan to be done with as much as possible by the end of October.  There's always a few last minute things, but I'll keep them small.

What else? 

Jake is still enjoying Karate twice a week, and has been doing well in school.  Greg and I will celebrate our 6th anniversary next weekend with a dinner and ghost tour at the U.S. Hotel.  The weekend after that, we are going to Riley's pumpkin patch, in the North Hills of Pittsburgh with my family.  And the last weekend of October, I am going to see the Long Island Medium at Heinz Hall with my mom and aunt.  There will be some trick-or-treating in there for the kids at the end of the month too!   

And that's about it in a nutshell, I think.  It's life as usual.  Lots going on, but all (or most) of it is good.  When I can find the time to stop and breathe, I am always amazed at how much there is to be grateful for...even those googly eyes!  (And I'm super grateful that the sauerkraut adventure was at someone else's house, not mine!  Hey, my clean freak prevails, no matter what!)

The Things, You Say....

Catch the song reference?  Ah, I know.   It was pretty lame.  Sorry.  (If you're dying to hear that song now, and you want to see a really lame video of someone lip-syncing it, click here.) I do so many of these posts about the things the kids say that I have pretty much tapped my creative title resources.  By now, you should know the format.  Here's a list of things my boys have said over the last few weeks, that I find amusing.  Hope you get a chuckle too!

Every day Andrew wants to know what the schedule for the day is, where he is going, when I am going to get him, etc.  The other day, our conversation went like this: me: "OK, I'm going to take you to school, go to work, go to the grocery store, come home and unload the groceries, go to UPS and then come get you at school."  Andrew: "Where's my PS?"
----------------------------------------

Andrew loves to show me his stuffed animals and ask for hugs for them.  One day he brought me his stuffed manatee and said, "Look who I brought you!"
"Aw," I said.  "Isn't he cute!  What's his name?"
"What do you want to name him?" Andrew asked me.
I thought for a minute and said, "How about Manuel the Manatee?"
He considered my suggestion, then replied, "Um, how about Lobster the Manatee?"
Oh.  OK.  Sure.  Lobster the Manatee has a much better ring to it anyway!
--------------------------------------

Andrew: "Mom, God is bigger than the full world, know why?"
Me: "Why?"
Andrew: "Because he ate all that healthy food that no one else likes."
-----------------------------------

One day when I was bringing Andrew home from school, he looked over at an old age home and asked me if I remembered when we went there.  I have never taken him to Garvey Manor, or any other old age home, for that matter.  Despite anything I said, he kept insisting that we were there.  Finally, he said, "Yes mom!  We were there!  Remember, it's the big house where all the old humans live!"
-----------------------------------

Andrew had a really hard time reconciling with my new hair cut.  The first night, he gave me sideways glances for hours and repeated, "Tell me who you look like!" many times.
----------------------------------

Andrew and Jacob were playing with some of Jake's Spiderman action figures at my parents' house one day.  I asked Andrew what his character's name was and he said, "Doc Off."  Of course, we all thought that was lewdly funny.  My mom chimed in and said, "Oh, I think I know his brother, Jack," which made my mom, dad and I all chuckle again.  That really pissed Andrew off, so he slammed his arms down at his side, stomped his foot and said, "No! This one is Peter Partner, and this one is Doc Off!"  Yeah, it was hopeless at that point.
-----------------------------------

Words Andrew is currently mispronouncing:

• Dabloom = balloon
• Skeleskope = telescope
• Bee hide, because "that's where the bees go to hide."
• Hee = as in, "the boo boo on my knee is starting to hee." (heal)

-------------------------------

Harbor House had a show-and-tell of sorts a few weeks ago.  When I picked Andrew up, I asked him if he showed his friends his toys.  He said, "Well, I didn't show the Steelers."  Of course, I assumed he was talking about the football team.  "What do you mean?  There were Steelers at Harbor House today?"  "Yes," he said, "**** and ****, they steal things, so we didn't show them our stuff!"

------------------------------

"Mom, I know how to spell your name: K.O.E. eleven. E."  Hey, that's closer than a lot of adults get!

----------------------------

Andrew says the word "even" periodically when he is talking, and he rarely uses the word correctly.  Here are some examples: "Even there's dirt in that water."  "Even I have a lot of pets."  "Even we're going to a birthday party today."  I don't know where he picked it up, but it's kind of contagious.  We think it's funny, so we do it too.  After a while, I don't think we know we are saying "even" all the time as well!  Even I might be doing it now!  Even I bet you do it at least once today, just to try it! 

--------------------------

This last one is from Jake.  Jake has lots to say, but unfortunately, he's getting older, so it's not often funny in the same way Andrew's words are.  I'm more often amazed at how much he knows than I am amused by what he says, but every so often Jacob will come out with something entertaining too.  Here's a good one:  

One time when Greg was fishing without us, he sent me a picture of an old, crushed can he pulled out of the water.  I showed Jake the picture as a joke, but Jake thought it was a pretty awesome catch.  He said, "Oh, Mom!  Tell Greg to keep that!  It's rare to catch garbage when fishing."  I said, "Really?  You want him to keep it?"  "Yes," he said.  "The rarest, and most valuable trash to catch when fishing is an old boot.  The second most valuable is a tire, and the third is a can!"  I'm betting those statistics were pulled directly from an old-time Warner Brothers cartoon!

And....

That's all folks!  

(Now, if anyone has title ideas for future entries, I'm all ears!)

Fall Favorites

I like the spring.  It brings a promise of renewal, a glimmer of light at the end of a long, dark winter, but  despite the hope brought in by the spring, those unending vernal rains get me down.  I find the constant drizzle outright depressing.  Spring just isn't my favorite season.

I love the summer.  I love fun in the sun, splashing in the water, boating, traveling, picnicking...you name it, if it has to do with summer, I probably love it!  But I'm not wild about the super hot days and the oppressive humidity, especially those final scorching days at the end of the season.  I tend to wither a little come August.  Although summer is on the top of my "good times" list, it isn't quite my favorite season either.

Winter, well, I'll keep my thoughts about winter to a minimum.  I love the appearance of the very first snowfall, when it's still white, pristine, and sparkling in the sunlight.  But after the plows and cars come trudging through, and that pure snowy blanket turns gray, dirty and slushy, the novelty of snow wears thin.  I also hate to shovel.  I also don't like when my feet and hands freeze, the wind stinging my face, my back breaking.  I don't like wading through cold and wet slop, worrying about slipping and falling, to get to and from the car.   And I'm not wild about the holiday season either.  Put that all together and you can readily see that winter is definitely not my favorite season.

But fall?

Yes, fall is undeniably my favorite season.  I have loved the crisp, cool autumn days as long as I can remember.  I have a very vivid memory from some time in junior high.  In it, I am crossing the street at the corner of Hart and Hewitt, heading home from school.  The buses are zipping by me.  The sky is brilliant blue.  There is just a slight breeze, and piles of crunchy leaves at my feet.  I'm wearing one of my favorite sweaters, one that my dad brought back from his latest trip to Canada, and I can smell the fall.  I feel elated just to be outside on such a beautiful day.  I still get that feeling in the fall.  It's my favorite time of year, hands-down.  I just love it.

I think fall rests endearingly in the hearts of many people.  It's simply a beautiful time of year with moderate weather and stunning colors.  I don't know many people who dislike fall (unlike its ugly brother, winter!) Fall is quickly approaching, and I'm getting excited.  Our nights are cooler, and the days are less humid.  We've been surrounded by some brilliant blue skies, and I can see the leaves beginning to change.  I feel fall approaching, and it just makes me happy.  In honor of my best-loved time of year, I thought I'd share some of my joys with you, so here you are:

• Fall clothes - they're warm and cozy, but don't weigh you down like big bulky winter coats and boots.
• The gorgeous fall colors, of course!  I live in central Pennsylvania.  In the fall, I am literally surrounded my mountains of vibrant reds, yellows and golds.  Who isn't amazed by that?
• Leaf jumping.  I typically loathe yard work, and I can't say that raking leaves, stuffing them into bags and meticulously grooming the lawn for the upcoming winter is at the top of my "favorite things to do" list either.  But there's something innocently joyous in diving into a pile of crunchy fallen leaves.  I don't care who you are, I'm betting the thought of leaf jumping makes you smile too!  
• Honey crisp apples.  If you've never had one, go get one now (or as soon as they hit the shelves)!  They are the best apples ever, but you can only get them for about a 5 week period in the fall.  That time is coming up soon!  If you see them in the market before I do, please let me know ASAP! They are quite literally my apple equivalent of crack!
• Acorn squash.  These simple fruits ooze fall goodness!  Need an easy and delicious recipe for acorn squash? Here you go: cut one in half, place a generous dollop of butter in the center along with a generous dollop of cinnamon and brown sugar.  Place in a water bath and bake at 375 until the squash is tender.  Use your fork to mix the sugar and butter mixture with the squash.  Delicious!  
• I may as well continue with the food theme, while I'm on it - Pumpkin seeds.  I don't like store bought seeds.  I've tried them over and over with recurring high hopes followed by repeated crushing disappointment.  I have finally come to the conclusion that homemade is the only way to go with this fall food.  My sister-in-law gave me the best recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds I have ever had.  Now, I wouldn't exactly say it's the healthiest recipe ever, but it's super good:  Clean your seeds.  Melt one stick of butter in the microwave.  Throw in some dashes of Worcestershire sauce.  Spread the seeds evenly (Don't layer them.  If you have too many, use two sheets) on a cookie sheet and pour the butter mixture over the seeds.  Sprinkle with garlic salt and bake at 425 until the butter mixture is dried up and the seeds are crispy and brown, turning occasionally.  It's more of an art than a science.  Just play with it and you'll get it right.  I guarantee you'll love these seeds! 
• Sitting by the fire pit on a cool night, roasting marshmallows and sharing laughs with our friends and family. (We have a fire pit date set for Friday!  The boys and I can't wait!)
• The smell of burning leaves on a cool, dry day.  
• Chilly fall nights that are perfect for sleeping.
•  High school football.  OK, I have to admit that I don't actually give two hoots about the game itself.  But I live close to the high school stadium, and this time every year, when I see the lights, hear the crowd cheering and the band playing, it instantly takes me back to my high school days.  Nearly two decades have gone by since I was in school, but I still vividly remember the feel of sitting in the stands with my fellow band buddies, cheering our team to victory.  It's not that I ever really cared about football, per se. Actually, I never really had a clue what was going on (still don't).  I just cheered and booed with the rest of the crowd for the sake of team spirit!  You don't have to be a sports fanatic to catch that contagious surge of adrenaline and camaraderie at a live game.  The games now serve as a transporter for me, taking me back to some pure, fun and carefree teenage memories.  
• Fall running.  The fall is perfect for running.  I don't mind running in the winter.  Actually, running is probably one of the few things winter has to offer that I would consider good.  I don't mind the cold when I'm running,  and as long as there isn't any ice, I'll bundle up and head out in even frigid temperatures.  Although I favor summer over winter in general, I don't care for running in the summer. The heat and humidity are real energy zappers. Fall is the perfect middle ground. The humidity is low.  The temperature is cool enough that I don't exhaust easily, yet not so cold that I have to wear 25 layers to avoid frost bite.  It's a freeing time to run - minimal clothing, perfect conditions, beautiful scenery.  Fall is the perfect time to rekindle my running mojo, and I'm so happy to be back in the game as fall approaches this year.
• Our anniversary - October 14th.  This will mark our 6th year in utter wedded bliss!  We went to Vermont for our honeymoon 6 years ago.  The north east is truly the perfect place to go in the fall for autumn lovers!  Maybe I'll tell you some honeymoon stories sometime - we had a blast! Wish us a happy anniversary on the 14th...or better yet, take our children so we can have some time alone! 

What's your favorite season? Do you love the fall too?  Did I miss anything about this wonderful season?  Let me know your thoughts! 

Cats VS Politics

A friend of mine on Facebook recently posted something to the tune of "politics and religion don't belong on Facebook."  I couldn't agree more! In my opinion, Facebook is for entertainment.  It's for fun, for play, pictures or maybe (just maybe) for an occasional benign rant over something utterly unimportant.  Many people aren't able to have exchanges with others whose views are different or opposing, when it comes to politics and religion.  I think it's great that people are passionate in what they believe in.  We all should be!  But, I don't necessarily feel the need to post my own views on Facebook.  I just don't feel like that's the correct venue.  Here on my blog, well, that's different.  I try to keep it light most times, but sometimes I touch on heavier material.  But this is my blog.  It's not a public forum.  Although anyone can read it, I know that most of the people who take the time to read my run-on sentences and rambling idea strings are my friends.  They probably already know my political stance, my religious affiliation and my take on any other controversial topic, because, well, I'm not exactly a quiet and reserved person.  I talk.  A lot.  I also don't tend to freak out when someone expresses a differing perspective.  So if you feel the need to argue my opinion about appropriate Facebook content, by all means, my ears (or eyes, rather) are open!

Sometimes I find it quite humorous to read argumentative posts, and see people unfriending, and blocking each other over differing opinions.  It's like a real life soap opera!  But it also makes me feel bad that people lose friendships over stuff that is posted on Facebook.  That shouldn't happen.  The point of Facebook is not to convert the world into people who think alike.  What fun would that be anyway?  Differences make life interesting, solve problems, and bring balance.   My opinion is this: if you can post something and not get angry when someone disagrees, then by all means, post.  If you can comment on someone's post without getting angry over a retort, then by all means, comment.  There's only a small percentage of people who can do those two things.  Otherwise, keep it simple, stupid and fun.  Personally, I like to post lots of pictures of my kids and of my cat.  Facebook is the vehicle I use to make sure everyone in Blair County and beyond knows about Andrew-isms and Sam's fat behind.

Speaking of Sam, after I wrote this little blurb, I looked through my cell phone and found that I have just as many pictures of Sam as I do of my kids!  Many of them have already been posted on Facebook. The rest?  Well, look out Facebook friends, another cute photo of Sammy is coming soon to a timeline near you!

Loving the fresh air and sunshine!

"Hey there.  Can I come out and play?"

Sam, like me, is not always the nicest when he first wakes up.

"Oh...I think I over did the breakfast burrito!"

He thought he was in a glamorous photo shoot.  Don't tell him it was really just the dining room table cloth.  It would hurt his ego.

Star-gazing with his littlest human.

Ssssstttttrrreeettttcccchhhh

Comfy window seat

Sunning his nether regions

"Mom, I'm not smiling anymore!  I'm sick of these pictures!"

"Oh, OK, maybe just one more glamour shot."

Now, that's what I'm talking about.  Good, clean, feline fun!  Come on, you have to admit, he's very photogenic!

Back to School Sentimentality

While everyone was boohooing about their babies going off to preschool, kindergarten, junior high, whatever, I have to admit (with just a touch of underlying mother-guilt) that I did not feel much tugging at my heartstrings this morning.  I mean, yeah, of course, Jake has grown.  Andrew has grown.  Time goes quickly, too quickly most days.  But I feel that way every day, not just on marked occasions, so I guess I kind of missed the "back to school crying bandwagon."  

In case you didn't notice, I'm a camera fanatic too, so snapping pictures isn't something that I don't reserve just for holidays and birthdays either!  This morning, I took Jacob's picture outside our house in the same spot I have taken his picture every year for the last 5 years.  This year, Andrew joined him, and also had a photo taken of just himself.  Andrew officially started Pre-K today, but it wasn't a significant change for him - same building, same teachers.  It's next year that he will have a true adjustment.  

First day of fourth grade.

A photo with his bubbly baby brother!

And a little recognition of Andrew's first day of Pre-K too! (Barnie the sea otter, Spider Man and Venom also attended school today as well!)

When I pulled up to the front door of HBC, all the moms were outside with their kids, snapping photos in front of the school, having the kids pose with Father Gardner.  I stopped the car, looked back at Jake, and asked if he wanted me to get out and take photos of him.  He looked at me for a millisecond, shook his head and said, "Na…not really.'" 

"You sure?"  I asked.  

"Yeah.  I'm sure."  

"No photo with Father Gardner on the first day? Or in front of the school sign?"  

"Na.  No thanks."  

He hopped out of the car. I blew him a kiss, watched him walk into the school and drove away.  No tears from him.  No tears from me.  Easy enough, right? 

Then, by chance, this Natalie Merchant song came up on my play list on the way to work after I dropped Andrew off: 

It's one of my favorites, but I forget about it until I happen upon it.  I love the whole song, but I'm always struck by the line, "Every time we say good bye, you're frozen in my mind as the child that you never will be again."  

I remember once when Jake was in first grade, I snapped a photo of him walking from the car into the school.  It was one of those parenting moments when I felt overcome with the realization of how fast my first born son was growing, a third of the way to adulthood, slipping away from me before my very eyes.  In my mind's eye I can still see his orange jacket, his backpack in his hand at his side, his confident steps away from me and into a world that was composed of more than just our family.  (I was so moved by those feelings that I wrote about it back then, and after endless searching on this dag-gone blog, I found it here).  

Thinking of that picture, the one that is permanently etched in my mind, listening to Natalie Merchant, realizing that in only one year (a year that will fly by faster than a blink), Andrew will be walking that walk to kindergarten and there will no longer be little ones in this house, I finally felt the pang that everyone else had been talking about all day.  I guess the sentimentality bug has a way of biting even the least suspecting of us.   Or perhaps even those of us who only show our sappy side behind closed doors most of the time just have to admit it out loud every once in a while:  my kids are growing, and while I get terribly frustrated with them multiple times every day, while I yell too much and too loudly, I am also amazed by their tiny little growing souls - amazed by the things they have learned, the things they can do, the sheer wonder of their existence and the fact that they came from inside of me.  I am not the best mother on the planet.  I make many mistakes.  I am not sure how I lucked into these two beautiful boys, but I am indeed blessed by them, each and every day, and it does, in fact, make me a little sad to think of them growing up.

Now, I just need to remember these emotions when I step on a Lego barefoot in the middle of the night...

A Slew of Seattle Still Shots

As promised, I present you with a truck load of photos from our trip!  What a good time we had!  Take a peek and see for yourselves: 

The boys loved Franco Harris at he airport.  Unfortunately, the George Washington statue that stood beside Franco was ignored.  Guess football is more interesting than history, sadly.  

Andrew's first time on a plane!

Jake boarding the plane.

First ride, thumbs-up!

I think Jake could pass for a cowboy!

Andrew slept through most of the second flight.  He woke up just long enough to see someone's beer cooler in their yard and sing some Lady Gaga songs to the passengers for their landing pleasure! 

Mt. Rainier from the airplane window.  Pretty cool! 

 We waited for the draw bridge while some sail boats passed under us.

No city beats Seattle when it comes to getting a good cup of breakfast hot chocolate!

Jacob loves to play monopoly.  We have about 16 different versions of the game.  Every time Meghan and Patrick come for a visit, they are lured into a game with him.  Jake was thrilled to find Seattle-opoly for them as a very fitting wedding present from their money-loving, oldest nephew.

I think this is Pier 57 on Alaskan Way.  Right outside the Aquarium.

Just outside the Aquarium.  The Seattle Aquarium was very cool.  They had a ton of hands-on stuff for the kids, and a lot of staff around to explain things.

Jelly fish "donut."

Faux shark surfing

Apparently, it's harder than it looks!

Octopus wrangling

Starfish gazing

"Whoa.  Look at all those fish!"

Taking a rest on a mama otter.

Checking out the Great Wheel!

Going up for a view of the city.

The Space Needle from the Great Wheel

Space Needle, again, from the street.

And again, from just underneath it! 

We got a free digital picture with our Space Needle tickets.  This photo cracks me up!  The only person who looks normal is Greg!  Jake looks rather unimpressed, I look a little shell-shocked (which is probably a pretty good approximation of my affect by that time) and Andrew...well...who knows what's going on with that kid!

Another fitting show of our family dynamics.  Greg, trying to look happy.  Andrew, defiantly amusing himself and Jacob pouting.  Fun times.  Fun times.  

Greg and me with the city behind us.

Andrew pretending to be afraid of heights

Jake enjoyed looking through the "skeleskopes," as Andrew called them.

There was a Native American festival going on at the Armory behind the Space Needle.  We walked through for a little bit before lunch.

Meghan and Patrick got married in their friend's back yard.  It was one of the most beautiful homes and yards I have ever seen.  It wasn't elaborate or overstated in any way, but rather very simply elegant with  a breath-taking view.  They couldn't have chosen a nicer place for the wedding or a nicer couple to host it.  The owners we so friendly and welcoming not just to the guests on the wedding day, but to us and our children for the days prior, during set up too.

How would you like to sit on your deck and look at this with your morning coffee each day?  Ah...serenity.

 

Friends of Meghan and Patrick performed the wedding ceremony.  It was very well done, and very well fitted to their personalities.  It was serious and sentimental when it needed to be, but also humorous and light-hearted at times.  The couples obviously knew each other well, and it added a very nice touch of intimacy to the wedding. 

The happy couple.  They decided to combine their names, instead of one person taking the other's, so they were presented to us as "Mr and Mrs Lindrew." (Patrick Linder, Meghan Andrew)

In Seattle, it's customary for the bride to drink a cup of coffee while the groom addresses the guests!  

My dad's toast to Meghan and Patrick

A donut tree.  When Andrew saw this, he came running to me and said, "Mom!  Come quickly!  You won't believe this!  They have a donut tree in their yard!"

"Yyyyeeeessss!  My prayers have finally been answered!"

Of course, the bride needs to take a turn as well! 

I think Jake took several turns! 

Andrew needed a lift to get the donut he wanted.

Ah...success!

Mmm...donuts! 

They also had a station with a ton of goofy hats and a Polaroid camera for guests to take pictures and put in a little scrap book.  What a fun idea!

Yeah, that's my uncle Allan.  

Family photo

The parents of the bride put a lot of energy into fixing their hair so it's just right.

In a past life, Terry was really a viking! 

Greg's favorite post - manning the bar! 

My boys are always so happy to have their photos taken! 

"Hey, you wanna renew our vows while we're here?"

Father and daughter

Father and daughter and new son! 

Another goofy moment

And one last serious shot to end the show.  

If I didn't say it before (and I know I have), congratulations Meghan and Patrick!  Thank you for sharing your special day with us.  We feel blessed to have been included in this newest chapter of your lives.  Wishing you much love, joy and happiness always!

"May God's blessing keep you always.  

May your wishes all come true.  

May you always do for others, and let others do for you.  

May you build a ladder to the stars, and climb on every rung.  

And may you stay forever young." ~Joan Baez