Goodbye June???

June is almost over, I can't believe it...

Here are a few pics of what we have been up to the last week.

Anne playing the piano... conducting BIG business via mobile phone...
wearing her "super suit" aka life jacket, getting ready for a float down the river.
Nathan wearing his "super suit" aka floatation suit and bearing "big stronger" muscles...
They had a great time floating the river, sorry no pics, I didn't want to risk submerging my camera, again... so here they are in the baby pool in the back yard of their aunt & uncles house.
Nathan filling the pool, so helpful!
We are having a great summer so far! We had a huge heat wave over the weekend and it's now in the low 80's today, forcasted as such for the rest of the week. I am enjoying the warmer weather! I think the kids and Mark are too. We don't have set plans for the 4th of July yet, but we are wishing all of you a super fun & safe Independence Day!!!!!
Love,
Mark, Joy, Nathan & Anne

It's official! It's SUMMER!!!

We are finally in the true season of summer and June 21st was a beautiful day here. Today was a bit milder and not so much on the sunny side, but we made it past the 70 degree mark and we are not complaining!
It will take me a while to acclimate back to this side of the country! Mark and the kids seem to have no problem with this matter! I too have been the one to suddenly contract allergies out here. They all had them in Virginia, so I guess 1 out of the 4 of us is better than 3 of the 4!!! Sudafed usually does the trick anyway!

We have been busy figuring out our summer schedules. I got a job working at Sylvan Learning Center for the summer months and possibly into the Fall as well. Presently I only work until noon which leaves a lot of the day left for FUN! Mark's summer swim schedule started last week and we get a sizable break together between his morning and afternoon practices.

Mark and I started a 90 day workout program and have been able (for the most part) to get our workout in during our afternoons. It's been challenging to make dietary, caloric and activity changes all in one week! When we make it through we may post our before & after photos to see if we did any good, ha!

Ok, enough of the chit-chat, I know what you really want are the photos!!!
Here goes:

Just like any other little girl, she loves mommy's shoes:

Fixing the piano/writing desk:
Conducting "big business"as Mark says on the calculator phone...
Playing at the water table on a cloudy day, why not?
The latest craze in toddler hats, it's the classic plastic pitcher look.
"Little Miss SmARGHty Pants"
Um, when did Gilligan get off the island?
The first time Nathan would wear both the pirate hat & eye patch...
"Captain No Beard"

I got Anne's hair into pig tails & was SO excited that I took a picture!
Nathan at the water table on a suitably warm day... pouring water on his head of course.
Nathan "growing" or what I would call watering our mini-garden. We actually have real snap peas forming! I think we may have a load of green beans to share with our friends. Hopefully we'll have some bell peppers and cucumbers too. I have given up on the tomato plants. I bought two plants, each meeting a different demise. Number one: eaten alive or stripped alive by either birds or malicious neighbors. Number Two: enjoying the sun on the ledge of our patio when a gust of wind tossed it off snapping the stem 1/2 inch (literally) from the soil. I planted the stalk and remaining bits of the plants but it doesn't look good for the tomatoes this year. Maybe next year?
Thanks for checking in on us! Nathan and Anne both have check ups at the Dr this week so I'll post their results...

Love, the kidletts, Mark & Joy

Summer changes...

You know that the kids are growing up when they trade in their made up vernacular for real words, the pronunciation of "r's" and "s's" is mastered and they start speaking in complete sentences. All of which are reminders that they are growing up whether you want them to or not.
I was watching Nathan run around the living room last night and had a fleeting glimpse of what he will look like at 8 years old...panic ensued! It reminds me to enjoy them now, not just because it will go away soon, but because it's fun and worth experiencing life together.

Anne has traded her cherished word "tapu" in for the real word, "pasu" (pacifier)... yes she still has one. Her garbled, pretend conversations are becoming more understandable. Yesterday she asked to go play, "Go play?" and always asks, "A do mommy/daddy/annie (she calls Nathan Annie)?" Translation: What are you doing?. She is a master at cleaning up, more agile now and tries to do just about everything Nathan does, some things even a little better! She is still cuddly and more than ever Little Miss Independent. Her favorite activity is crawling under the table ("In the tunnel," she says) and scavenging for uneaten treasures. She has become a master at distracting Nathan in order to be able to watch TV (he makes a better "door than a window"), or play with specific toys. She is such a character and so funny!

Nathan has traded 3 and 4 word sentences for completely thought out sentences. "Come on mommy, let's go outside! Get your shoes on!" He and Anne both love the PBS program "Word World" and he's always 'building a word' which usually is "E-O-E, blankie!" or "E-O-E, car!" or "E-O-E, 'fill in the blank because in Nathan world EVERYthing is spelled E-O-E'." We got him the 'Leapfrog Word Whammer' today, maybe he'll pick up some more letters to spell with! He is asserting some independence as well and is a lock for putting things in the garbage. If you think it's lost, look in the trash first. Nathan may have thrown it away! One of his favorite daily activities is waking Anne up from her nap and yelling, "Surprise!" after which "Happy Birthday" usually follows. HA!

The weather here has finally turned WARM!!! We are excited to have some SUN in the forecast. Not that the rain has been imposing, it's just nice to see some sun in June! I am still adjusting to the climate here and still wear jeans, long sleeves, and flip flops on warm days. I think everyone else has already acclimated. Our friends have a pool in their neighborhood with a kiddie pool that the kids love. No huge summer plans yet, just to enjoy our new environment!

Thanks for checking in on us! I will post some pictures soon!
Love the kidletts, Joy & Mark

Happy Birthday Nathan!

We had to have a little goof off time before the grandparents and aunt and uncle came, these two were hilarious. They get along more often now and it's really fun to watch them be silly! In this photo they were spitting rasberries at each other.

I made the kids cinch bags for their stuff when we go to church and they wore them on their heads instead of their backs... oh well, I tried!

Nathan, Anne and Mark went to Cannon Beach last week before the birthday festivities began.

Nathan with his PaPa on the train going into the city.

Anne with "Sweetie" on the train into the city.

This is the site of Nathan's Birthday Party! There are two bounce house slides, a race track and giant space themed jungle gym to the left on this photo, I tried to fit that picture in but it was taken with the camera vertically and I couldn't edit it after I put it in the post... Sorry!

Nathan blowing out his candles.

Playing in the play center next to the race track.

Nathan on the race track, his FAVORITE spot in the whole place!

Friends Jamie (mom), Griffin, Elsa & Anne in the yellow... all waiting their turn for a "car"...
Nathan's Grammie made him a Pirate's Booty box, complete with pirate costume, ship flags and more!!! He loves his pirate game! I had to have a go on the race track as well! In fact we all did, even Grandma!

The last day of PaPa & Grandma Sweetie's visit we had brunch and shopped around a bit... Nathan got to throw a few coins into the fountain...
Anne with Uncle Dan...

Uncle Dan took Nathan to the ATM with him and Nathan came away with the money...ha! Uncle Dan got his money back in exchange for the withdrawl receipt.

After PaPa, Sweetie, Aunt Shannon, and Uncle Dan all headed home and the kids had good naps, we played with Nathan's toys. Mark decided the tool belt fit better on his head, Anne thought otherwise...
Silly man...

Anne trying out Nathan's scooter...

Nathan playing his pirate game from his Grammie in California.

Anne trying to get the helmet off, she needed some help...

It's been a busy few days! Nathan had a great birthday and is all of a sudden taking off with potty training, vocabulary, letters, colors etc! It's great! Anne did really well with the attention being averted to her big brother. She is so funny! Mark and I decided that she was simply born to argue. Maybe she will become some sort of litigator! We had a great visit with Mark's parents, and his brother and wife. We wish you all could have been here to help celebrate!

Love,

Mark, Joy, Nathan & Anne