Tuck Man

Tucker is 4 months!  He has bulging gums which means teeth are on their way.  He regularly rolls onto his tummy from his back and gets so annoyed because he doesn't really like being on his tummy and can't get back over.  Is it bad that I think it's funny and cute?

 

 

Brother just joined me on a super fast trip to Las Vegas for the sealing of a dear friend, Ketura, to her husband and two little girls {that was amazing}. We spent some great time with my parents, just the four of us.  My kids are so lucky to have such great grandparents and it was fun to be there with just one babe and be taken care of by my mom and dad.  Loved it! I was worried about the plane ride because Tuck has a hard time falling asleep in my arms, he'd rather be in his bed.  I got onto the crowded plane and the couple who would be sitting next to me stood up to let me get to my window seat.  The woman (who had been in the middle seat) loudly says to her boyfriend, "I'm NOT sitting there.  You have to trade me."  Awesome.  I'll just nurse right next to your boyfriend, lady.  Everyone around me was getting a head start on their drunken Vegas adventures and using words I don't hear...well, ever.  The little people I share my days with thankfully don't know language like that.  Tucker started cry-scream-ing and I wanted to join him.  But after just a few minutes he settled in and slept the entire way.  Lover.  The trip back was more of the same, but the people next to me were a little nicer.  They did end up moving to empty seats, though, and I loved it.  I would much rather have my own row, thankyouverymuch! This time Tucker didn't fuss at all, slept most of the flight, and woke up smiling at me and everyone around us.

Tuck smiles and laughs all the time.  He is starting to have two regular naps during the day and usually wakes up just once at night.  He loves to grab things and the kids think it's funny to have him grab their finger and then gross out when he sticks it in his mouth.  He has some great chubs.  I love his thighs and chubby little hands and feet.

I love having a third little man to call my own!

Oh, and check this picture of Tucker's ear print on my arm after I nursed him one day... :)

Bucket List!

Let's see...what else have we crossed off?

• Circus {seemed pretty ghetto when we got there, but there were some really cool acts - The Globe of Death! - and the kids LOVED it.}

• Sew something with Mom {Okay, the boy's project involved no sewing (stuff batting into an old tie with a pencil, hot glue both ends once it's sufficiently stuffed, hot glue eyes and a tongue, and you're done!), but they loved it and they really love the end result. I had to get permission from Ty on which ties to use because he has some ties that are ugly and he never wears, but they evoke sentimental memories/feelings.  Who knew?  Not I. I love my sentimental man. But both ties I picked (and sent him a picture of at work) got the go-ahead.  We made Kelly a dress out of one of Tyler's dress shirts.  She ditched me mid-project, but it was taking longer than I had planned, and she did join me again toward the end.  I'd say both projects were a success!  By the way, Max and Kelly are total opposites with picture-taking...it's super hard to get Max to just smile without some bizarre/hilarious pose, but it's super hard to get Kelly to do some kind of pose besides a sweet smile}

• Ev's date night with Mom {Tuck-Man joined us.  Ty was at the youth activity and Max and Kelly were at a birthday party.  We went to Island Lake Park with some dinner.  Brother did not stop talking the whole time.  He's such a hoot!  He kept saying over and over, "Goin' on a date!  On a date to the park!  Right, Mama?"  I just loved listening to all of his stories, his great imagination, and watching him play.  When he took a looong sip of his drink, I said, "Wow, you must be thirsty!"  He responded, "I can drink all WEEK!"  I LOVE one-on-one dates with the kids.}

 The Third Wheel {with a very cute tongue face}

•  Lunch in the Park
• Donuts in the Park {Same day as lunch...we got donuts from Sluy's Bakery in Poulsbo and then met the Morgensens at Pirate Park and made an afternoon of it.  Right on the Hood Canal.  It was hot and a perfect day for the water too. Loved it.}

• Blanket Fort
• Fire Night with the Lewis Family...and Tiltons too!  {This was the one Max was most excited about and it did not disappoint.  Yummy dinner, desserts, marshmallows, and fabulous company}

Oh, and it's not on the Bucket List, but we've been going to the $1 summer movies at the Regal Theater in Poulsbo and the kids insist on sitting on the front row every time. :)

 

"Sandals much better, Mama?"

Ev was all dressed for church, including socks, and I sent him downstairs to put on his slip-on church shoes while I was doing Kelly's hair.  A little while later he appears at the bathroom door asking, "Sandals much better, Mama?"  He looked so happy and proud.  We took some pictures, I told him how funny and adorable he is a bunch, and then put his socks and church shoes on.  He was fine with it because his main design was to make me laugh. I'm just not a sandals at church kind of gal.  But I am a lover of this little fella.

This past weekend I went on a very quick trip to Las Vegas for my friend's sealing to her husband and two little girls.  Ev apparently had a few missing mama moments (which I feel bad about because that's not so easy to remedy and our friends were helping us out by watching the kids).  I got back to Silverdale and to church with 5 minutes of sacrament meeting left.  I was so happy to see my little fam!  Last night a lady in our ward who sits two rows behind us in church called to tell me that when I walked in, Ev caught a glimpse of me before I grabbed him for a hug.  She said, "The look on his face was pure joy.  But it was more than that.  It was like, if he was an adult, like someone had just told him he'd won the lottery.  No, it was like Heavenly Father telling him that he could come to the Celestial Kingdom.  That's what it was like.  His whole countenance changed when he saw you.  It was the sweetest thing.  And I don't know if you heard him, but when you picked him up for a hug he said, "I missed you, Mama.  I love you." (I did hear him)  It was such a sweet phone call.  I have such a sweet little boy and I am so privileged to be his mom.

Camping!

Salt Creek Recreation Area at the Strait of Juan De Fuca, right on the ocean.  Waves crashing, gorgeous western Washington foliage.  Perfect campsite. My hubs knows how to find 'em.  This was the view directly across from our campsite...

I love camping with my little family!  I DON'T love camping in the rain.  I am a fair-weather camper for sure.  Max and I followed the rest of the fam there on Thursday night so he could go to his football practice; we got there about 9 p.m., had a yummy dutch oven cobbler around the fire, and then we heard the thunder. Oh boy.  Actually, it didn't really pour, but it was a constant drizzle (harder at times) all that morning and into the afternoon.  We tentatively said at about 2:00 p.m. that we would roast marshmallows and then pack up.  The kids were getting to be slightly miserable because I thought the forecast had said SUN, so I didn't pack/plan for the rain.  But...hallelujah! The sun came out and we stayed.  Even with the rain, though, we had fun.  We're Washingtonians, after all.

The campsite was located around/on top of an old WWII bunker, which was slightly awesome for our 6-year-old boy.  And there had been a cougar sighting at the campground just a few days before we got there.  More excitement.  When we were checking out the bunker and saw the map of the inner workings, we decided to go to separate bunker entrances and yell through to see if we could hear each other.  We kept yelling "Heeellllooooo!"  It was really fun and the kids thought it was a hoot.  As we were walking away the park rangers pulled up in their truck.  They thought someone was yelling "Heeellllppp!"  And with the recent cougar sighting they were  worried.  Oops.  Later that day Ty was taking a nap in the tent with Tucker and Kelly needed to go potty so I left the boys at our campsite.  I came out of the bathroom and saw Max and Everett making their way toward me.  Max needed to use the bathroom so they had trekked over on their own...it wasn't super far.  But there were the rangers in their truck again, asking if I knew about the cougar sighting and if I knew my sons had walked all the way to the bathroom by themselves.  Turns out they had asked Max which campsite was his, he pointed, they went and talked with Ty, and then they tracked me down.  Man, we were troublesome campers!  Mr. and Mrs. Park Ranger would be happy to know that the gravity of the cougar sighting finally sank in and I was on high alert the rest of the time.  I'm sure those rangers were glad to see us go.

Highlights of the trip - exploring the bunker, watching a serious squirrel squabble between Larry and Perry (we gave the squirrels names and Ty did funny commentary on their fight), the fearless raccoon who wanted our stash, the 7 deer who came into the camp meadow and grazed for a long time, the Jacket Around the Waist Club, watching a lightning storm over the ocean in the arms of my handsome hubs after the kids were asleep.  I just love that uninterrupted time together; there is something special about camping as a family.