Jeffrey's 9th Birthday party

Jeffrey invited his book club and his cub scout troop to a pool party to celebrate his 9th birthday. During the party I kept asking myself, "What was I thinking?" The kids sure had a great time, but Mark and I were stretched to capacity watching our own kids and 10 friends in the pool. We tackled the party by having Mark play games with the swimmers, while I stayed in the shallow end with Malia and 3 non-swimming friends. They all had a great time, and some even continually ask to come back over and swim!

What could be better than a Star Wars battle on top of your cake?

Maybe Pokemon cards for a Pokemon junkie?

Or gum for someone with an affinity towards the chewy stuff?

Or Star Wars Legos? Now these were a real conversation starter.

Father's Day Pictures

The kids and I got up at the crack of dawn to work on Mark's Father's Day surprise. We decided it's time for new desk photos. (Malia is 5 months old in the picture he currently has on his desk.) We quickly got dressed, brushed teeth and styled hair and were on our way by 7:15. We went to a vacant lot by our house and shot these pictures. Mr. Handsome
Miss Smiley
Miss Mischief
I still need to work on my group photo taking skills. This was the best one.
Malia is at a funny age. She can't fake a smile!!
We went to the park by our house to take a few more.

I think this is a cute one. Jeffrey was done posing and just wanted to play.

House Hunting

We're on the up and down roller coaster of house hunting. Here are pictures of our 'today's top 3' (I borrowed them from the listing sites):

This first home is a short-sale. We have an offer in and we're waiting to hear from the bank. It could be a few more months before we know the verdict. Pros: 4 bedrooms on the main floor and the basement is finished. They left most of the basement open, so it has a HUGE family room down stairs. Perfect for homeschooling. It also has a walk-out basement. Most of the windows face north, so the house gets lots of natural light without the direct sun. Cons: Not fenced, it needs some color- lots of tan inside and out.
When the basement was finished a play room was made under the staircase. This wall would be fun to spruce up and make look like a fort or a house.

I absolutely LOVE the kitchen!

House #2 is so cute and homey in person!! This house is super CLEAN!! Pros: finished basement, large open family room down stairs, big bedrooms, large deck off of the dining area. From the front, this home looks like a one-story home, but from the back the basement is level with the ground. So, it has tons of natural light and a walk-out basement. Great views. Cons: two bedrooms upstairs and two down. We're not sure we're ready to have the kids spread out all over the house yet. Not a short-sale so the price is higher per square foot.

Great view from the deck. The yard is a little sloped, but still plenty of room for the kids to play.
I'm a sucker for cozy fireplaces.

House #3 is so inviting. So far the pros: fully finished, except for one room in the basement. Large landscaped lot with an RV pad that could be transformed into a basketball court, room for trampoline and a play set. Big concrete patio off of the family room. Close to biking and hiking trails. Cons: lots of flowerbeds to weed, small upstairs family room. Also, there is a ton of concrete and it has settled in some places a few inches. $$$ to replace or I can just live with it. The landscaping needs some TLC to get it back into shape. This one is also a short-sale, so the price is great! Backyard

Family Room and Dining Area

Kitchen and Dining Area

Erasers and Chemical Warfare

Last night I went to my friend's house to practice a flute duet. While I was gone, Malia decided to shove a piece of eraser up her nose. She didn't like the feel of it, so she told Mark. He tried getting her to blow it out. Since she always inhales before she can exhale, it was lodged farther inside. Next, Mark pulled out the tweezers. Eraser dislodged after several attempts. I had to giggle. It reminds me of a story of my sister (who remains nameless) and raisins. Except the raisins expanded in the warm and moist environment of her nostril. My mom saved the day. What is it with kids and their noses?





This morning was another adventure. Jeffrey was irritated with Brooklynn and decided to spray her with Mark's Axe body spray. (I love the smell in small doses!) To retaliate, she doused him in some of my body spray. Yuck. Thank goodness the weather is nice and we can air out the house.

Flag Football Season

Posing with their trophies

Although she was the only girl in the league, she was one tough cookie! She really enjoyed learning all of the plays and being part of the team.

Jeffrey with one of the coached.

Her tough and intimidating blocking face

Team Picture

Malia and the Violin

She really loved playing the violin and thinking she was big like the other kids. This is a picture of her taking a bow after one of her performances.

Trying her best to make a 1/2 size vioin work. She played music for us for months until she removed the bridge and lost the strings. She had such a great time. Then we got a keyboard that she played all day until she broke that too. I'm thinking it will be little while longer before we invest in another instrument for her!!

Malia's 3rd Birthday

She had a fun birthday. She had a little party with extended family. She got everything on her list, including a sippy cup baby (she earned by being potty trained before her birthday! Horray!) I couldn't resist making a collage of her opening up her calico critters. She's at such a fun age. Everything is soooooooo exciting!!