Apparently “nursemaid’s elbow” is common among kids.  I can’t believe after all the kids we have had through our home that we have never had this before (Erin is good like that, we hadn’t done Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease before her either!).  It was awful!
She was wearing too small footie jammies to start and when I went to take them off of her, she was lying on the couch and I was pulling the sleeve down while she was trying to pull her arm out.  There was a pop and a scream and then she sat with her arm bent and refused to move an inch.  If I shifted at all, she would scream and cry.  I felt horrible and knew something was wrong.
Nana came over in her jammies to hang out w the other kids while I took Erin.  Quick fix by Dr Molly and all was fine.  Here’s to hoping that doesn’t happen again, it was no fun!

There is no doubt about it, this girl is on the path to be wearing the blue and gold, waving the pom poms and  shouting out Spartan cheers!
She LOVES everything about it and idolizes the “big girls” who she watches practice.  She’s even getting some of the moves down (well, as down as a 2 year old can get them).
Glad we started going to the games to watch Maxsena cheer – fun to see a little one sporting her uniform and gettin it done.  Too bad she’s too young for cheer camp!

So this week was a celebration of the life of an amazing woman, Beth Gedney.  She wasn’t just a boss, she was a friend and embraced Dee and I (and the kids!) and welcomed us into her family.  There was only love there, mutually.  As I sat at her memorial service and listened to all of the professional accomplishments she had made in the maritime industry, it was very clear that she was both respected and loved by all.  I don’t think it’s hit that she’s gone, I can still hear her laugh   clear as if she were sitting next to me.
As a coincidence, Beth’s memorial service was held on what would have been the 60th birthday of one of my closest friends ever, Lori.  Each year on her birthday, a group of us (her daughters, Dee and our friend, Gay) all get a mocha w 1/2 the chocolate, salt and vinegar chips and pepperoni, mushroom and olive pizza.  A small way to remember an incredible lady (who taught me so much about life and standing up for myself and being authentic – she also dug Dee and was a huge supporter of our relationship).  She is missed daily, wish she could have met our kids.  She would have really loved them and been a cool “auntie”.
Glad to have had the time I had with them, so wish it could have been much more.  They are missed deeply and every day.

 So the boys came up with a plan to have a Minion birthday party, but when we were talking about the cake she was very clear that she wanted a RAINBOW cake.  I think you should get the cake you really want for your bday, so off to Pinterest I went and found this one.  Pretty easy to make, although it was too heavy for the frosting (I know how to fix the issue in the future if I decide to do it another time) and I had to put in supports and do some refrosting in the morning.  I think it turned out pretty cool and she loved it.
We had just our immediate family on her actual birthday because I had the flu the day before and we couldn’t expose the rest of the fam and friends to that.  Celebrated with Nana and Papa, Mary and Alice and Godma Kris and Godma Ann last night.  Fun to hang out in the garden and chat, then enjoy a tasty BBQ dinner and watch the girl open her presents.
All in all, I think turning 2 was a good birthday for her!

Here’s a link to our “wedding annoucement” on Inside Bainbridge!  Yay for love!

More pics and all on the wedding to come…

So yesterday after a “run and grab something for the kids to take on the ferry and eat” trip to Safeway (which are ALWAYS relaxing!), I was trying to get the kids back into the van and it wasn’t going all that well.  Erin has decided she is now a big girl, and always climbs in and buckles herself into one of the boy’s booster seats and refuses to get into her carseat.  That was happening, but she was also screaming at Trey because he was sitting in her carseat and she didn’t want him there.  Levi and Carlos were highly embarrassed that this was all going down in the Safeway parking lot, where someone might see.  I had no choice but to open the sliding door and climb in and try to move Erin.  I admit, I wasn’t so calm at that point and expressed my frustration at Trey and Erin while I was helping them get buckled into their proper seats.
I climbed out of the van to find a man standing there watching me, somewhat flustered, and a couple standing behind him also watching.  I figured they had never heard a mom raise her voice in frustration (there were no put downs, swearing or anything unreasonable for the situation) and were waiting to call CPS or something, but wow was I wrong.
I asked the man  if there was a problem and he said, “Well, you were bent over in your van and I was watching you and backed into this other car.”  It took me a minute to process but HOLY COW, really?  Yeah, the guy was perv enough to admit he was gawking but I have to admit I am taking this one as a compliment.  I feel badly they had to exchange insurance info and deal with that mess, but it made my day!

I can honestly say that I have never had an experience quite like this afternoon when Dee and I cast our wedding rings.  Things are getting real.  We have been together for 13 years, had a small ceremony 11 years ago in Vegas and we have been “married” for a long time.    We are pretty much married, right?  

What a treat to be a tourist on the Seattle waterfront today with Nana and Papa.  It was really crowded, but the weather was incredible.  We took a ride on the Seattle Great Wheel and got some great pics.  It is amazing to see the city from that viewpoint.  I wish they would have made the ride a bit longer, though.
Here are the pictures!  We didn’t get pictures of Nana, Papa, Luca and Levi because they were in another car.