Scenic Beach

It was a super hot day.  Tyler was out of town.  The house gets unbearably hot in the afternoon on super hot days.  We picked up a pizza at Costco and, because I had zero desire to haul all four kids to another store, we bought a HUGE bag of Cheetos.  {I haven't been able to eat Cheetos since}  We had a fun picnic on the grass and then headed down to the water.  The tide was high, but we didn't need a lot of space.  The kids played and played and then climbed up on this cool log RIGHT when the sun was in a cool spot for pictures.  We got out of swimsuits and then stopped by the playground before heading home for the night.  We started our drive home just as the sun was beautifully setting over the Olympic Mountains.  The only thing missing was my hubs.  Otherwise, perfection.

The Zoo!

Point Defiance Zoo was on the Summer Fun Bucket List.  I love this zoo for my kid's ages.  It has plenty of cool stuff to see but it isn't a huge zoo.  Totally do-able in 3 hours or less, and that gives you time to see everything and even take in one of their little shows in the amphitheater.

Favorite things to see at the zoo were: 

• Tiger (Kelly & Ev & Max)
• Monkeys (Mom & Max)
• Puffins (Dad)

Favorite memories:

• Kelly and her map; girl is SO much like her daddy.  She wouldn't put that thing down.  A few times I had to tell her to put the map down and look at the actual animal in front of us.  She totally lead our expedition and LOVED it.  One time she set the map down and then got down to move on without it. I thought it would be funny to grab it and see how long it took her to notice.  I was right, it was funny and totally worth the laugh.  
• Watching my kids hold hands, unprompted
• Just being with my little fam

Make Your Own Pizzas & Backyard Camping

Another Bucket List check-off!  Pizzas were alright.  The kids loved making them and that's what matters. After dinner we headed to the school to play for a bit. Backyard camping started out cute and got really COLD.  I totally laughed; in the middle of the night Tyler went inside and came back out with, like, 4 layers on and every.single.blanket in the house.  I wondered what the heck we were doing...but we were making memories, darn it! :)  We were on an air mattress and that's why we were chilly.  The kids were all in their cozy sleeping bags and slept great.  Oh, except for Max who slid out of his and woke up freezing.  So I put him under the twenty blankets next to me at some point.  Tucker was inside in his crib and when I got up to feed him in the wee hours of the morning, it was hard not to just climb into my warm bed.  But I wanted to be in the tent when everyone woke up...that's one of my favorite things about camping - falling asleep and waking up together.

Favorite memories: 

• Coming outside after putting Tucker to sleep...the tent door was unzipped just enough so that I could see our three older kids in their dad's arms, reading a story together.  Warmed my heart.
• Staying up, reading a lot of stories with the older two after Ev had crashed.
• Looking at the stars together (we didn't put on the rain fly so that we could star gaze)
• Pulling Max's cold little body into bed with me and snuggling with him to warm him up.  I don't get to snuggle my not-so-little boy as much these days.

Max's Fun Run {For Fun}

I took the kids on a run with me at the junior high track this summer.  Everett and Tucker were in the jogging stroller and Max and Kelly were run/walking beside me on the way there.  I was telling them that I needed to run to get ready for the races I'd signed up for.  Max said, "I should make a race for kids."  I thought, and said, "That's a GREAT idea!"  We talked about it off and on for the next few weeks and I decided that we should make some concrete plans.  So he came up with a name for the race, we set a time and date, sent an evite to a bunch of friends, and planned what treats we would make.  We went to the dollar store and bought bags of medals and poster board for a sign.  The RSVP's started rolling in and it looked like we were going to have a good turnout!

The day before the race we decorated the sign and made the treats (peanut butter no-bake cookies and white chocolate fruit loop clusters, which weren't the brightest idea since chocolate melts, but whatevs).  Race morning Max was beyond thrilled. Except that he had watched some football the night before and wondered if we could start off the fun run with a football game.  I told him we could maybe end with one, but that people were coming to run.

Oh, it was SO fun!  It was one of those heart's-about-to-burst-mom-moments.  I was proud of Max for wanting to do it and for planning it (with a little help from me).  I was - and am - so thankful for good friends who supported this.  It was so fun and funny and cute and rewarding.  I was so proud of all of those little legs, some of whom really worked hard and stretched themselves to do the mile.

What a great day.  What a great kid I get to raise.  What great friends.  What a great life.  I am blessed.  And thankful.

{be sure to read Max's little note he attached to the evite...it's funny :) }

MAX'S FUN RUN {FOR FUN}

·         Host:

Max Foster

·         360-204-4328

·         When:

Friday, September 28 at 1:18 PM

·         Where:

Ridgetop Jr. High TrackJust behind the school,Silverdale 98383

1-Mile Run and Kid's Dashes!

Bring your little brothers and sisters if you have some. All the medals are gold and the treats will be yummy; I promise.  No black licorice.

{Please RSVP to my mom's e-mail tyanddana@gmail.com if your kid will be running and if they will run the 1-mile or one of the Kid's Dashes}

Have fun at the run!

On having a breakdown at WinCo...

School.  It's hard for me, people.  It's hard to send my little man to school.  I have issues.  My sister says it's our mom's fault because she always wanted us home too.  I agree.  Totally mom's fault.

Kindergarten was hard to handle at first, but it was in the afternoon and we could still have lazy mornings and go do something fun, eat lunch, and then he was gone for a little over 3 hours.  It kind of felt like a play date...where he learned about civil rights and how to make your own wood and simple math and how to read.  But still play-date-ish because it wasn't super long. 

I've known for some time that my firstborn babe would be starting the 1st grade.   I wasn't sure I could be up for the all-day business of 1st grade.  I love having Max at home.  He is creative and funny and inquisitive and a good big brother {most of the time}.  All summer, thoughts of 1st grade would be at the edge of my mind and I would brush them away.  

Until, one day, I couldn't.

I was grocery shopping at WinCo.  I was looking for french vanilla pudding to make Sand Pudding with the kids {summer bucket list item}.  I glanced to the right and saw the Jello pudding packs and thought, "I'll pick one up for the kids" because they like them and I don't buy them very often and thought it would be fun to surprise them.  That's just the kind of big spender I am.  Then I thought that it would be fun to buy them every once in a while to put in Max's lunch for school this year.  Then I fully realized that Max was going to eat lunch at school.  Then I thought about the date {August 24th} and that this would probably be my last shopping trip before he started school!  Then I started to cry.  Then I searched through the flavors to find the ones he would like the very best {still crying} and put them in the cart.  Then I realized that if I didn't hurry through the store everyone at WinCo was going to see my ugly cry.  I even forgot to get Juanita's tortilla chips!

As soon as I hit my car, the flood gates opened.  Hiccuping, serious business crying.  I unloaded my cart while the tears freely flowed.  I felt frantic and wanted to shrink all of my kids.  I wanted to homeschool {Tyler says that not being able to let go isn't a good enough reason for homeschooling...we've had that conversation a time or two :) ...and I know I lack the patience anyway}.  I felt like I needed to talk to someone who's sent their kids to school and survived it.  I immediately called my sister, Bethany.  I'm not sure what she thought when she answered to my tears and blubbering, but when I finally explained why I was calling, she said, "Oh, sweetie, yes...." and everything after that made me feel better.  She was the perfect person to talk to {mom of 5, 4 in school, PTA President, sister who already knows I am a little crazy}.  We talked for a while and I got my blubbering under control.  I got home and Ty met me in the driveway to help with groceries.  I said, "I had a breakdown at the store {again with the tears}...I have to buy stuff for lunches for Max..."  He knew just what I was talking about.  He got his sweet husband smile because he loves me and my craziness, hugged me, and said, "We'll have him buy lunches, then.  Okay?  Problem solved."  Ha!  He knew that wasn't what I meant and knew that would make me laugh and pull me out of the emotion for a minute.  I love him.

Anyway, a good cry did me some good.  I wish I could say that it was the last time I cried about Max starting first grade...but I'll always remember the night I had a breakdown in WinCo.  Darn Jello pudding packs.