The Slip & Slide

When it’s hot, the slip and slide brings out the best in everyone.

 

Leighton and Daisy

Leighton loves his dogs. And they love him back.

8

This sweet girl is eight years old today.

Happy birthday to you Molly. It is wonderful to be your parent and I am grateful for you, your spirit, and what you bring to everyone around you.

 

Snow Day

Snow day.

No school.

Sleep in.

Sledding.

Snowmen.

Snowballs.

Leighton summed it up best: “This is the best day EVER!”

A Girl and Her Dogs

This girl loves her dogs. In the last year she has really growth to appreciate and enjoy their company, their companionship, and the comfort that they provide. Molly has given them the same, expressing genuine love toward them and giving them attention every day.

I love watching Molly interact with them, especially how joyous she is and the way that she giggles when she scratches their magic spots.

 

 

Five

This one has been in the draft box for a while. It’s been two months since Leighton turned five years old. That said he is still a five year old boy, and definitely all boy, and everything that comes with that.

He has endless energy (as long as he is fed) and has two speeds – full on or off.

He is rambunctious, but doesn’t enjoy getting real rough with his friends.

He likes steak and detests chicken.

He can belch “like a man”.

He loves heavy metal music, especially Metallica and AC/DC, and gets a smile on his face like you are scratching an itch and it feels real good when it comes on in the truck.

He is incredibly competitive, perhaps too competitive – something we’ll have to work on.

On top of all of these masculine traits, he is also incredibly sweet, loving and gentle. He loves his sister dearly, just as she does. If they keep it up as they do now, they have a long future of having each other ahead.

It’s a blast having a 5 year old boy and I am going to continue enjoying every day of it.

Hats and Boots

As the saying goes: When in Rome… So when at the Ellensburg rodeo, hats and boots are required.

 

 

Little Campers at Baker Lake

In early May, we jumped on some excellent weather and took the kids camping at Baker Lake. Nothing could have made them happier.

The moment we arrived they wanted to put up the tent and make a fire so that we could have s’mores. We held them off the best we could on the fire and s’mores while ran, jumped, climbed on logs and rocks, threw rocks in the lake, etc. Leighton was besides himself the entire time with the abundance of sticks and rocks.

We even went for a hike to the Baker River foot bridge. The kids insisted on wearing a backpack and stuffing them full. Along the way, Leighton found more sticks and lots of bugs. Molly found an enormous tree and earned a blister.

If you asked them, I am sure that they would say that there isn’t such a thing as too much camping.

The Candy Jar

I guess that it is okay to help yourself to the candy jar after you play baseball for hours during and are in motion for nearly every other waking minute during the day.

Seven

Our little girl is seven years old. So big and so little all at once. A terrific age indeed. While it gives us a view into the future, we still get to enjoy the little kid in her.

This birthday brought a sleep-over party, earrings, pedicures – big girl stuff. She also got a Seahawks sweatshirt, which she has been requesting for months so that she can put it on in the evenings “just like dad”. All of this is a reminder to enjoy this time because it is fleeting, and we only get it once.