Wonder Years

Friday, August 28, 2009

Here's a sight I'd never though I'd see:

Gracie running through Bellevue Park in a plastic apron and hair net.

There's actually a very good explanation for it. This past week, our church held an event to package 25,000 meals for Children of the Nations. It was amazing to see so many people come together for such a great cause.

The kids' job was to decorate the boxes we would be shipping the food in. That held Grace's attention for about 10 minutes, then she decided it would be much more fun to build a fort with all the boxes. Charlie just thought it was fun to dump out all of the crayons in the grass. I ended up spending the night chasing my two "helpers" in opposite directions. I left feeling exhausted and not really sure that it had been worth our time and energy.

That is until the next morning when Grace dumped a bunch of crackers into a gift bag and asked me if we could mail it to Africa for the hungry kids. Its amazing what kids soak up without us even realizing it. It was absolutely worth chasing her around a park for an hour to begin to open her eyes to the needs that are all around us. Her desire to help in her own way is inspiring to me. I pray she continues to develop a heart to serve others.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

I'm a shoo-in

I know some of you mommy friends of mine think you're in the running for the Mother of the Year Award, but I'm pretty sure after today, I've got it in the bag.

I took a shower this afternoon after giving Grace strict directions: "You may play in your rooms, the loft, or my room. Do not go in the bathroom." Charlie can't open doors yet (at least not the kind at our house), so I thought they would be safe. Our upstairs is quite kid friendly. After my shower, I checked in on them, and they were both playing happily, so I went back to my bathroom to finish getting ready. I came out a few minutes later and found them in the bathroom.

Charlie had Grace's toothbrush in his mouth. Kind of gross, but it happens a lot. No big deal.

He was dipping it in the toilet then putting it back in his mouth. Really, really gross.

The toilet was full of urine. Yeah, I'd say I'm a shoo-in.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Grace and Mia

Grace asked me to take some picture of her with her doll, Mia. Who am I to argue with such a willing subject?

She was very serious most of the time. Apparently snuggling with your baby is no laughing matter.

It finally happened...

Two kids. Looking at the camera at the same time. Smiling. No fingers in noses.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Back to the Beach!

Our family has a yearly tradition of spending a week together on the Oregon Coast. We've been going to the same beach since I was a little girl, and my Dad has been going since he was a child. We had an amazing week together. I am so blessed to be a part of a family that actually loves spending time together.

The trip got off to a stinky start when we Charlie got car sick and vomited all over himself and his carseat. We decided to turn his carseat around so he faced forward. He was quite thrilled with his new view! He kept saying, "Vroom! Vroom!" Luckily this helped the rest of the drive be uneventful.

We had great weather and spent a lot of time playing on the beach.

We took the kids to pick out a kite and had fun flying it during the few windy times.

After many failed attempts at finding shells, Jeff and I stopped at a shell store and bought a few to hide for the kids. Grace was so excited to find hers. We showed her how you could hear the ocean in the shell which she thought was very fascinating. She wanted to know if it would still work at home, and I assured her it would.

It was so fun to watch Grace and Charlie deepen their friendships with their cousins.

Who can go on vacation without a proper tea party?!?

All the little families...

Megan and Jeff are expecting a little girl in December. I think seeing just how "unvacationy" vacation becomes with kids might have freaked them out a little.