Lulu

Our little Lulu is sick this week. She's got a nasty runny nose and cold.

PS-Yes, that's snot coming out of her nose. Gross!

Besides having a cold, Lauren (Lulu) is growing up! :-)

S-A-M and U-E-L

According to Sam any and all printed words spell SAM. He'll tell me a bill board we happen to be driving by spells SAM or a paper he's looking at spells his name. The thing is he can pick out the S, the A, and the M, no problem. However, try and tell him it spells something other than his name and you're in trouble. Recently, though I think we've made a little progress. He's learned to spell his whole name: S-A-M-U-E-L. However, and again this is according to Sam, S-A-M spells SAM and U-E-L spells LAUREN. I'm just happy he's willing to admit that it might be possible to spell a word other than Sam. :-)

Speaking of S-A-M and U-E-L (Lauren), we've had some fun afternoons the past few weeks. The weather has been mostly fabulous here in Seattle, so we've spent quite a bit of time outside. Anyway, these pics are mostly for Grandma Thacker who I know loves to see new pictures of the kids. We miss her and wish she lived closer!!

We've also had some rainy days inside. This is a cute picture of Sam trying to figure out how to use his new giraffe scissors. Here's a little side note about how Sam colors...He lines up his markers on one side of his picture and colors with them one by one. After he colors with a marker he lines it up on the other side of his picture. Once he's colored with all the markers, he's all done. Don't even think about trying to get him to use the pink marker in the middle of the pack again...NOT going to happen! :-) I love my orderly little boy!

Lauren LOVES the slide. She will go down the slide again, and again, and again. Last week Evan took a day off (Wahoo!!!) and we took the kids to the Children's Museum in Everett. Loved it. Loved it. Loved it so much we bought a year's membership there. The coolest thing about this Children's Museum is the HUGE playground they have on their roof. So much fun and so cool!

Sam and Lauren playing with the really GREAT train table at the Children's Museum.

This picture is for Uncle Kimball...;-) He'd be proud.

Lauren on the slide at Greenlake. Did I mention how much she LOVES the slide?

So cute! :-)

Progress, I think...

As many of you know my mom passed away in August of 2007 and that my dad was re-married in June of last year (2009). This transition and the major changes in my family over the past two and a half years has been difficult at times...to say the least. ;-) Thankfully, my dad married someone who is kind, easy going, understanding and patient with my sister (MaLeesa) and I as we figure out our place in this new family and at the same time try and hold on tight to the family we had before my mom died. I've discovered that one thing that helps ease the transition for me is to spend some face to face time with my dad, his wife (Alane) and her family and MaLeesa and her family. Every time I spend a weekend with my dad and my sister I'm reminded that even though my family is changing it hasn't gone anywhere. My dad is still my dad and he still loves me. My sister and I are still his "girls"...phew! I know this must sound silly, but it's very refreshing at a time when my "family" as I've always known it has sometimes felt threatened. The good news is that I'm beginning to feel open to and welcome the changes in my family and I'm truly grateful my dad has found someone he loves who loves him too. Wow! Did I actually just say that?!? Yes, that's definitely progress for me to be feeling this way. I am grateful for a heart that is softening...slowly, but surely.

Anyway, what prompted this thought process was we spent this past weekend in Spokane at my dad's house. MaLeesa and John live in Spokane so we were able to see them as well as Alane's daughters Amanda and Kristina (and her family). It was a very nice weekend and really great to spend time with everyone. On Saturday we celebrated Sam and Malachi's birthday. They're a year apart almost to the day. Anyway, here are the few pictures I took. I only have pics from the b-day party...

Saturday was Malachi's actual birthday, but Sam got to get in on the birthday fun too.

Lauren and Araceli...they're only three weeks apart.

My cute sister and her family. Love them!

Antonio, MaLeesa, Araceli, Ammon, John and Malachi