June in My Garden....




Everything is green and lush! The hydrangeas are just starting to bloom, the daisies are out and the roses are back! Even my fuchsias are doing surprisingly well considering they are the first success I have ever had with "starts" always die after a few weeks. But not these, I've had them for a few months and are blooming at long last...yay! I just purchased some real pretty pink geraniums for next to the front porch, the lavender didn't do well there so we will see how these do?

Swimming class fun!

The boys have been taking swimming classes this term and loving it! They've been taking swimming classes at Hazen High School and is run by the senior student swim team. The kids teaching are great and the boys love it! Even if at times it is more just pool time fun, splashing and playing with the other kids. We have just signed both boys up for summer swim camp which starts tomorrow every weekday for 2 weeks....woo hoo!

Harry has graduated and is now in the next level. Way to go Harry! They are both doing well with going under the water and kicking, but both hate laying on their backs as the water gets in their ears. They can't stand it! We'll see how they go next session.

Last day of Kindergarten!
He is growing up way too fast...please stay innocent and sweet forever!

Here is Harry on his last day of school with his Kindy teacher Mrs. Wilson, we are going to miss her so much!
Here Harry is being presented with his Kindergarten certificate and a special certificate awarding him most helpful student in class.

Missing teeth!
Look at that gorgeous smile....

After 3 years of the Renton Moms Group!
I have officially stepped down as an organizer....what a ride!

It seems like a lift time ago that 5 organizers formed an organizer group to get the Renton Moms Group up and going. The above article was our first media coverage 5mths after the group was started...look how little the kids are, cute!

So many wonderful memories and even more wonderful friendships have been made through the RMG! The moms I have met are some of the most amazing women I have ever met and I am so grateful for the friendships, the laughs and the support.

Its exciting to take part in the group now as just a member and to enjoy the fun!

Field Day Fun!

It is nearly the end of the school year and the learning is winding down some. Today Harry had a full day of field events.....how fun!!! Loads of really fun gross motor activities for the kids to do by class and then broken down into smaller teams. I rocked up with Thomas to catch a bit of the excitement and arrived just as Harry was about to take his turn in a relay race. He loved it and was so excited to show off, I was so proud of him! Just another reason why I love Bryn Mwar Elementary.

Harry's Field day team.....

Off to Explore the Seattle Aquarium...




Its so nice to have a family day, no other obligations, no work, a daddy in town, the cleaning can wait...this family needs some fun!

Dave and I have been wanting to take the kids to the Aquarium for weeks now and finally we have the chance. They were so excited, Harry more so about seeing the octopus and touching a live crab (fingers crossed he will experience both today)

We headed in to town on a horrible Seattle day. Gray, wet, rainy, bad drivers...what a bla day. It really is a good day for sleeping in and staying in your pj's. But never the less, it we were going to get to the Aquarium, we had told the kids and there was no backing out now!

First stop was lunch, boys were getting grumpy and it was close enough to lunch, we thought lets look at fishies on a full tummy! So we headed to Red Robin for the some yummy steak fries and burgers. It was great eating out as a family again, watching all the boats going in and out of Puget sound, even though wet and gray, there is something about being indoors, looking out of the water, eating hot fries!

The Aquarium held quite the drama on arrival. After waiting outside in the freezing cold for 15mins or so to get in, the line finally made it in the doors. Only to see a little boy about Thomas's age, distressed and crying at the door. It was very clear that he was lost. My mommy instincts clicked in straight away and my heart went out to this little boy. The boys and I took him over to the counter so we could let a staff member know. We stayed with him and the boys talked with him. A few mins later a very upset and emotional mom came and claimed him. What a reminder for me and the kids to stay close and not go off without us. I gave my boys a little talk and we were off to explore, Dave with Thomas and Harry with me. It was soooo crowded, it was not the place to get lost!

Harry's favorite thing today...The star fish and touching a real live crab and not getting bitten. They have wonderful rock pool areas where you can touch crabs, starfish and lots of other cool things I'm not even going to try and spell...lol!
Harry's least favorite thing today...The "dead" sleeping eel in the bottom of the tank. He did not believe us that it was just resting, it really was! He was convinced the eel had died from eating something bad.

Thomas's favorite thing today...Having a small Nemo painted on his face and watching the waves wash in through a hole in the rock pool wall. The anticipation for him was great

The Grass is getting greener and the plants are budding...but where is the SUN?

I am so excited for gardening season to return. I have been spending my days at home with sick kids, out in the garden while they sleep. Its been so nice to have a little escape and time out for me to enjoy the garden, there is no place I love more on a sunny day. Oh hang on, where is the sun? Its still nice to be outside without rain.
Love this pic of Dave, Thomas and the little yellow safety man. All working hard in the back yard!

March is the perfect month for pruning back shrubs, transplanting and deadheading plants. Seeing what survived and didn't survive the cold frosty winter. Most plants made it, although there are a few that need some lovin!

Spring is finally here!!!!


And its time to get outside and play!
The sun is shining, the sky is a brilliant blue, the breeze is still but there is still a cold winter crispness to the air...ahh spring!

This year is already to be proving so different, the boys are older and so much more independant. They really are growing up!

Harry is at an age now where I remember going outside to ride my bike and play with the kids in the street. He's riding his scooter around the block by himself, such a big boy! He is actually really good at it and is starting to do tricks, I'm sure he'll be wanting a skateboard next.



Thomas is happy to stick to his trike, but will usually go for the scooter if Harry is still at school.
Dave is excited to teach them both how to ride a bike this spring/summer, can't wait to go on some family rides together! Bring on the sunshine and playing outside...woo hoo!

International Night at Bryn Mawr Elementary March 09



Harry's Kindergarten class took to the stage to perform the first song of the evening "He's got the whole world" Gosh what a bunch of cuties!
To kick off the International and Diversity theme the school is promoting they invited the families to a night of songs, acting, food and exhibits from all over the world.
The kids where each given a passport to have stamped at each of the continents they visited as they walked around the halls and visited the different displays.


Here are our proud Aussie boys in their Aussie tops, visiting the Australian exhibit. They even had Vegemite, which most people were to scared to try...lol! Notice the band aid on top of Thomas's head, he had an owie and insisted he get a bandaid for it. It was not fun pulling that thing off!

Snow in March...crazy!

It was so pretty though. Falling so lightly and just sticking to the areas that you don't mind. The road and driveways were too wet, so it melted on touching. It stuck around beautifully on the rooftops and tree branches. School was still on and we still got out and about in it!
Here are some pics from the house today....

Here is my toothless boy!

Less Traumatic second time round!

Its seriously hanging on by a thread! Any second and the next tooth is ready to go...
A few days have past since our first "ordeal" with losing a tooth, now just waiting for the next.
We have talked at length about how it will happen again, we have showed Harry pictures and taught him all about teeth! Fingers crossed all this will help in avoiding a repeat of the other night!

Friday afternoon, Harry gets off the school bus, very excited and in a great mood! He flashes a smile at me and straight away I see the toothless gap has grown. In his hand was a tiny little baby tooth. He had been holding on so tightly on the way home, he had an imprint on his palm, it was like he had been bitten by it!
"Look mommy! I lost another one! Will the Tooth Fairy come? Do I get another quarter?" All I could think was, hurray! We didn't have a repeat of the other night. His little toothless smile is so cute and to listen to him talk is precious! I will be getting some video of it sooooon, so check back =)

The Tooth Fairies first visit!

The sound! The blood curdelling scream from the bathroom! Oh my goodness, you would have thought he lost an arm...."Mommy, Mommy my tooth is hurting and its moving!" said Harry.

6pm - The sign of his first wobbly tooth....scarred and not sure what was happening, comes to me in tears, wobbling his tooth furiously with his tongue!

6:01pm - Finding out this is normal for teeth, that it will fall out and an adult tooth will grow in its place. (Scream) And apparently the world is going to end too! Seriously he thought all his teeth were going to fall out and he would never be able to eat again. He wanted me to fix it, take him to the hospital, do something! (Not to mention his other concern, Mommy if my adult teeth come, does that mean I will be an adult and get married and move out? But I don't want to be an adult yet, I'm just a little kid! Hahaha, the things that stem from a wobbly tooth...Oh my!)

6:10pm - What felt like hours of explaining what was going on, not to mention tears and over reacting. Harry started accpeting that loosing teeth is totally normal and he finally calmed down.

6:20pm - After looking at his tooth in the mirror again for the 20th time. Wobbling it with his tongue, playing with it, really who can leave a wobbly tooth alone?
(Scream! Tears!) "Mommy it fell out! It fell out! And I'm bleeding everywhere!" Again, the world was going to end....sigh! This was a hard thing to explain to him, we had no warning he even had a wobbly tooth, I was not prepared. Part of me was finding it hard and emotional that my little boy was growing up, not to mention scarred! The other part of me was finding it a little amussing due to the over reacting to the situation and the comments he was coming out with. I guess as an adult we know whats happening! Its just a wobbly tooth, right!

6:30 - Finally calming him down I was able to explain to him that there is a perk to all this.
The Tooth Fairy....Whooo Hoooo! Everything was going to be alright...lol! And for the first time I saw his new toothless smile. All tears ceased! He asks if the Tooth Fairy will bring him a power ranger? I said the tooth fairy brings money. Oh now I've done it I thought, he'll expect $20 or something. "Will she bring me a quater?" Harry said. "Sure, she can bring you a quater, you lucky boy!" Yay, a cheap tooth fairy...ahhhh!

We wrote the tooth fairy a letter and thanked her for coming to visit! I can not wait to see the look on his face in the moring when he sees the shiny quater left under his pillow...ah the inocence of believing!

Leavenworth.....Snow CHRISTMAS and so Bavarian!



A mini family getaway is always a good thing! Especially when you have had sick kids and weeks of being house bound.
Lets get out of here! Pack the bags, dig out the snow gear and we're off on a Rule Family road trip to the quaint alpine village of Leavenworth.



Located 3hrs drive from Seattle, up high in the Cascade Mts. Is a gorgeous little town where it feels like its Christmas all year, liederhoussen are preferred and the sound of Oom Papa music is heard everywhere you go! Dave was thrilled to have some "Swine hocks" and some yummy Germain Beer.



Sure its a little on the kitch side and a total tourist trap, but gosh its fun! You could really convince yourself that you are somewhere high in the Alps or even better, that its still Christmas!



We stayed right in town at our timeshare. The whole place was covered in snow which made for great tobogganing!



It was a wonderful relaxing time with no agenda. Just to play in the snow, sleep in, read and play with the kids...ahh! Can't wait to do this again!

Lights Camera Action.....
Harry's Spotlight week at school!

This took place a few weeks ago and now that I am typing about it, I may have already posted a blog, but here are some photos of the special week.
Each week, Teacher Wilson chooses a student to focus on. This is a great opportunity for the class to really get to know the focus kid, ask questions, share stories, be the class helper for the week...Not to mention feel very special!

It came at the most perfect timing, we had just returned to the states from our Aussie trip...
Here are some pics from the day:

Here is Harry introducing me to the class and answering questions the kids had about our family. I think he really liked standing up the front, having the power to chose what child got to ask a question next, pointing to them saying its your turn, or saying to another they had to wait...ha! I was his show and tell for the day, he introduced me to the class as his mommy "isn't she beautiful" Oh Harry you are a total charmer...very sweet! I talked to the kids about Australia, showed them some pictures and read "Possum Magic" it was so much fun and for a moment I really missed teaching...but that moment passed! 24 kids, I don't know how teacher Wilson does it?

The yummy cupcakes Harry and I made for his class as a special treat...

I'm so proud of my big school boy, he is adapting to school so well and is growing in leaps and bounds....keep it up Harry!