Hotel Living

Greetings from Portland!

Devon had business in Oregon this week, so in the spirit of "going with the flow" this summer, the kids and I hitched a ride!

Joe and Lucy are so excited to be on a road trip, staying in a hotel, ignoring bedtimes, eating out, swimming in the hotel's pool...  and having the whole family sleep in the same room.  By the way, this is my idea of camping :)

Lucy was amazed by the number of pillows lining the bed.  We don't skimp on the luxury 'round here, folks!

And see this sofa?  This sofa right here?  It folds out to become Joe's bed.  Joe said, "This must be a 4 Star hotel!"

Happy kids!

And nappy kids!

But the fun doesn't stop there!

We ate lunch at McDonald's- the kind of McDonald's with a germ pit playground.  Mother of the Year, right??

And don't forget ice cream cones!

And when Devon re-joined us, we did a bit of exploring in downtown Portland.

Can you guess who has to go potty?

It is agreed- we like business trips!

Week One of Fun

Last week was packed with activities intended to jump start our summer with a BANG! in order to avoid the inevitable I'm bored! from Joe.  Plus, Devon was super busy with work and an Iron Maiden concert (seriously.), so I figured that I can hurry the time while he is away if I am busy too....

But now the kids and I are E X H A U S T E D. 

New plan: Lets go with the flow this summer and not try to fill the calendar.

Here are some highlights of our week, as seen by my camera :)

We spent a day at Aunt Merry's house, where we always have a great visit and loads of things to do.  We swam, Lucy and Max played with toys, we watched a movie, and Joe rode his RipStik on Merry's newly paved driveway.

Chillin' at home, all three babies playing video games together (note: only Joe is truly playing)

Devon's company had their annual Family Picnic, a luau, which just happened to land on our sunniest day so far!

We were able to squeeze in a date!  We saw Knight and Day- kinda corny, but we liked it.

OH! And I had a celebrity sighting at the mall!  I saw Matt Hasselbeck (the Seahawks quarterback, and, perhaps more importantly, Elisabeth Hasselbeck's brother-in-law!).  I either 1) slapped him on the tush and said, "Lets Go Hawks!" or 2) I gave him a creepy I-totally-know-who-you-are look and then called Devon ASAP to say, "GUESS WHO I JUST SAW!"

I do love a good sighting!

And then there was a softball tournament.  You may know about my love/hate relationship with softball tournaments.  But at least I got these cute pics!

Dirt? Charcoal? I may never know.

Bubsy fell and got a fat lip :(

Dev's team took 3rd place!

So, there you have it!  This is what we've been doing, in case you've missed us!

A Recent Discovery

Moments ago, as I was changing Max's diaper with Lucy at my side, just as we always do, several times a day, Lucy asked, "What is that, Mama?"
"What is what?"
"What is that thing on Max's booty?"
"Nothing is on his booty."
"Yes there is.  What is that?"

Wow, she is just now noticing his, well, you know, his wee-wee??  Now?  Really?
I put on my big-girl-pants (so to speak) and without hesitation answered, "That is his penis, Lucy.  You don't have one because you are not a boy."

There, I said it!  P-e-n-i-s.  Penis.

"I am not a boy!  I am a girl!"
"That is what I said, Lucy.  You are not a boy."

And that was that.

I feel as though there should be a line somewhere in Lucy's baby book (yes, the one that is pretty much empty and unused, but nonetheless...) that would record the date for Discovered the Anatomical Differences Between Boys and Girls.  It would read today's date!

*fortunately, I do not have a photo to illustrate this story, so this one of them playing with baby-dolls will have to do :)

Middle School, Here We Come! (Yikes!)

He did it!

And I did it too!

We finished the 5th grade!

Today was Joe's last day of school, and, perhaps more importantly, it was his last day of elementary school.

On Monday afternoon, Devon, Lucy, Max and I attended the 5th grade Farewell Ceremony, which was really a graduation of sorts.  My first thought was Oh no, I didn't even bring any tissue! but Max and Lucy made sure that I did not sit and enjoy the ceremony long enough to even shed a tear.

Max squealed and ran around, screamed, laughed, climbed onto stacked tables, fell and cried....

And Lucy was bored to tears, often asking is this over yet? and occasionally making noises as she tapped on walls or stomped her feet.

Yes, we were "that" family at the back of the crowded room :)

Ah yes, the life of a mama!

Sunny Sunday!

Good morning!  We are all awake at the Rantz home, and the sun is shining (for the second day in a row)!  We are happy!  We are optimistic!  We are loving each other!  We will be getting a dose of Vitamin D today- the real Vitamin D, not the kind that I buy in a double pack at Costco!

Our agenda:

• skip church (bad!)
• softball double-header
• sunshine
• bbq with the softball team

And the Award Goes To...

Grandma Donna!

Our award-winning babysitter is more than a babysitter, she is Grandma, and she is ready and willing whenever we need her! 

As I was leaving the house today, Donna was on the floor playing with Lucy, and when I returned, she was on the floor playing with Max. 

I know that the kids wear her out, but she keeps coming back for more.  And Max even yells in her face in a you're-not-my-mama kind of way, but she perseveres and wins him over.

Thank you Donna- YOU ROCK :)

A Quick Trip

Mama is tired.

I traveled home last weekend, with my little people in tow.  Lucy is a great traveler.  I've lost count of how many times she has flown, but she is a pleasure to sit with, as she plays with her toys, reads her books, and eats her snacks.  Bubs, on the other hand, doesn't want to sleep, or sit in his booster seat, or stop playing peek-a-boo with the stranger sitting behind us.... 

Summer has arrived in California.  It was hot and sunny, and we soaked up as much warmth as we could before we returned to rainy Washington.

The purpose of the trip was to attend my Papa's memorial service.  It was an emotional visit with aunts, uncles and cousins, and a reunion of sorts too, and I am so grateful that I was able to be there to take part in celebrating Papa's life.  I am so proud to be a part of his legacy!

At the cemetery, rather than sit quietly during the service, Max climbed on tombstones (he found my Nana's, and I decided that if she was looking down from heaven to see my tiny boy climbing her tombstone like it was a jungle gym, she would smile), tried to steal flowers and balloons from graves, and screamed whenever I tried to keep him from his agenda.  Here he is in my dad's guitar case.  Note to self: don't take Max to funerals- he won't fall asleep as planned.

As always, visiting with my parents and siblings (but I missed you, Sethy!), and nieces and nephew, was good for my soul.  It is hard to live so far away. 

Brady is getting so big and is super cute.  He and Max smiled and poked at each other, and I can't wait to watch their friendship grow, just like Ellee and Lucy.

And speaking of Papas (and Tutus too!), my kids are blessed :)