Levi’s really doing it…he can ride a two wheeler all over the place. He got some tips from his friend, Tyler, when we were camping last time and when we brought bikes up to Wilkes he was sure he wanted one without training wheels. He did it! It’s cool to watch him go.

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Levi’s losing teeth all over the place…he’s got the cutest little lisp now since he has lost his two bottom teeth. He loves to tell everyone how the Tooth Fairy brought him a big money (50 cent piece) and a paper money ($1).

On Monday the weather was gray with a misting rain, but we just had to get outside. We’ve been meaning to go to the programs at Raab Park with the Master Gardeners and we finally made it. What a treat! The topic was bugs and butterflies and the kids got to do some painting, see all sorts of native bugs in little plastic boxes, take a tour of the youth garden and have the butterfly attracting flowers pointed out. I think the kids favorite part was being able to eat as many raspberries as they could in the garden, then go back with the group and have a couple stories read. It was a great morning, we will most certainly be back for more with the Master Gardeners!
The funny picture of Carlos at the top was him being a total goof and standing underneath the rain gutter and getting soaked! Whatever floats your boat, kiddo!

So we learned a tough lesson about summer birthday parties this weekend…they have low attendance. I felt badly for Trey, only one of his friends from school showed up and his brothers were more than willing to notice and bring it to his attention. He is pretty easy going and a great time with the kids who came. Maybe it was more me feeling badly for him since this was his first “real” party with friends. It was really fun, though, and we had a great time with all the friends who came to celebrate. Dee got into a water fight with the kids, they all ganged up on her and she did her best to stay dry but everyone got soaked. I made balloon swords and dogs (that’s the extent of my skills at this point) and everyone had a good time just hanging out and playing in the yard. Oh, and the black frosting covered Transformers cupcake cake was a hit!
We kept the party going with a BBQ and planned our next trip to Fay Bainbridge to camp this weekend. S’more anyone?

Hope everyone had a great one, we sure did! We headed down to the parade, did the “window shopping” (booth shopping as it is) and saw many, many friends that we haven’t seen in ages, had a bite to eat and sat back and enjoyed the hometown parade. We knew quite a few people in the parade this year from very diverse floats (Island School, BHS Crew, Bainbridge Little League, St. Barnabus Preschool, Save Our Teachers…). Always fun to watch the boys get excited about the starlight mint or flimsy frisbee that’s thrown their way. Carlos’ big find was some lotion that the Clinic gave out. He held onto that for the day and kept asking if anyone needed some lotion! Who knew it was that easy to please that boy? Trey didn’t make it through the whole parade without falling asleep and boy, his 50 pound frame is hard to carry down Winslow Way. Nana and Papa took the older boys to their house for a rest, while we took Trey home to get some sleep.
With everyone rested, we started up with our BBQ. We had a smaller crowd this year than most but it was nice to be able to chat with everyone and really be able to catch up. The kids played and played and played, we ate and talked and ate and talked. The neighbors put on an amazing fireworks display right in front of our eyes. We could even see the Lake Union and Winslow fireworks this year. What a treat to be able to take it all in. Hope everyone’s 4th was as great as ours!

A fun filled 3rd of July for our crew…yes, 3rd of July. We spent the morning at OT (as we do every Friday morning) then got haircuts, did a little shopping for the 4th festivities and headed home for lunch. In the afternoon, we were so lucky to get to beat the heat in our friend, Helen’s pool. What a treat! The kids are all swimming well enough at this point that they can stay afloat without hanging on a mama. It’s SO nice! Levi and Alice were doing cannonballs and flips off the diving board, I couldn’t believe how daring they were. We had an absolute ball. Then it was off to a yummy BBQ at Monica and Jason’s (thanks guys!) and we all drove down to the street dance in Winslow. Since it had been such a crazy day already and add to that the heat and crowds we were in meltdown mode and didn’t stay too long. Levi, Trey, Alice and Sammy did the limbo and some hula hooping and we got to hear some good music and all in all it was fun but not so sure it was worth the effort.

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Our baby is 4 years old today, can’t even believe it. Usually a mom would say “I still see him as a tiny baby” but for us Trey seems so much older than 4 so much of the time. He’s taller than Levi, he’s so polite and kind and has true compassion for others. It melts your heart when he comes up out of the blue and says “Mama, I love your eyes” He’s got an infectious laugh and a killer smile.
Happy Birthday to our sweet, sweet, special, ginormous 4 year old guy! And guess what…you’re getting a Transformers cake with blue frosting from Nana and Papa, you are going to love it.

And it’s started….Levi lost his first tooth yesterday! It’s been loose for quite some time but he’s refused to wiggle it. For some reason, he started wiggling it a ton yesterday morning while we were waiting at the dr office (asthma…not good!) and he pulled it right out. The tooth fairy came last night and brought a 50 cent piece and he’s got another one loose that may come out today. He was too cute about it, I encouraged him to get the other one out so the tooth fairy would only have to come out once…but he wanted to be sure she had to come two nights. Poor tooth fairy!