May Happenings

May 1st, 2017 is the day we lost our littlest, Lincoln Grey. I was 9 weeks pregnant. Like with Reagan, I had Lincoln at home. I was able to bury Lincoln along with Reagan. As sad as I am to have lost both babies I find solace in knowing that they are together in heaven.
It is extraordinary how quickly a baby's body gets formed. So precious. We love you baby Lincoln.


Took a drive out to the Oregon Coast on the first weekend in May.

After stopping in Astoria for lunch we then drove towards Cannon Beach. So much beach to walk on. Riley had fun running around without a care in the world especially not caring about getting wet. One thing you must remember is that the weather along the PNW beaches is usually chilly. It's uncommon for the weather to be warm and without wind. Even during the summer months it calls for a light sweater or windbreaker. But, for people like us who enjoy overcast skies, weather like this doesn't irk us. Just gotta remember to dress in layers.

And while Jacob and Riley were having fun running around and digging holes I did a bit of reading. Thrillers are cool reads and sure makes time go by fast. I liked this one.

We renewed our membership at Woodland Park Zoo (along with the Seattle Aquarium). Being around animals and observing them is cathartic. Definitely gets your mind off yourself and puts all your attention on them. Animals are so interesting.
There's so many bushes with pretty blossoms and this Japanese Wisteria is gorgeous. I'm an observant person by nature so I take great pleasure in taking in all the beauty when I'm out and about especially during walks.

Sydna came along with us this time. Ever since she's been out of high school and busy with college and work we don't get to spend much time together outside our home. Riley enjoyed a piggy back ride. I'm pretty sure he just wanted her attention and asked for one because during our previous visits he never asks us for a piggy back ride. He was just in need of some love from his big sister. Cute.

Then his daddy took over ... after Sydna got tired. lol.

My favorite area in Seattle is the waterfront, hands down! I still have not gotten on the ferris wheel and honestly I don't think I want to ride it, like ever. I'm good with admiring it from a distance.

This sweet girl. I love it when she's curled up then when she stretches she extends her toesies then curls them back up. So cute!
We've had Sophie now for three years. She's got a sweet personality and the routines she's got with each one of us is adorable ... even the way she gets mad at Nathan when he tries to pick her up once she's ready for bed at night, she'll hiss at him, LOL! Nathan just scratches behind her ear and she reverts back to being loving. She is mostly a sweet girl.

The library I visit the most has pretty trees. I love how they were planted on mounds. It is sure appealing to the eye and these deciduous trees are gorgeous in Autumn. Ah, so pretty to look at. I sure love trees just as much as I love beaches with rock formations and clouds.

My son, the most affectionate out of the three. My sister got him this shirt and he likes wearing it. I'm personally a big fan of the group but I didn't get a shirt, lol.

We are grateful we live between Seattle and Tacoma so when we don't feel like driving to busy Seattle we opt for North Tacoma. It's so nice here and way less busy than Seattle, and the views are just as gorgeous. I'm glad it doesn't attract the young crowd. It usually attracts families (during the warmer months) and the thirty and older crowd the rest of the year.

Given that Ruston Way is a long stretch of road and it runs along the Puget Sound, it is constantly busy with pedestrians and cyclists. However, the ambiance is still very laid back.

My peony bushes were just gorgeous but I quickly learned that I need to add some support to them given that the peony is such a heavy flower. So I did a little bit of research and some people suggested that I place a round steel wire tomato cage on top of the stems for support before they start growing. This way each stem will grow inside the tomato cage and keep them upright. Live and learn.

It was so gratifying being able to cut a few and make a small bouquet all from my backyard. The peony is such a pretty flower.

This is our nighttime routine. As soon as I lay down she makes herself comfortable on the left side of me. The look on her face though. It's like she's saying, "Yes, did you want something?" I probably moved a little and she got annoyed. Ha ha!

Nathan took his written test for the driver's license and he passed it. Now he has some more driving practice to do before he's fully ready to go for his driving test ... even though he thought he was ready at the time of the written test. Yeah, I don't think so.

We have those times when we don't feel like being amongst the crowds so we opt for a somewhat long car ride. For this outing we decided to drive to Bainbridge Island by taking the long route through Tacoma into Gig Harbor, then Bremerton and driving into  Poulsbo then to Bainbridge Island. We do make some stops along the way. We usually stop in Poulsbo. I like to browse around at the cute shops, sometimes picking up a few things here and there then we head on to Sluys Poulsbo Bakery to pick up some delectable pastries. So many good ones to choose from, seriously.
After the bakery we drive onto Bainbridge Island and stop for pizza where they have a few arcade games that sucks Jacob and Riley right in. Perfect for me because I get time to myself and more than likely you'll find me reading a book.
Then we head towards the ferry landing that will take us into Seattle.

And while on the ferry I prefer to hang next to my car looking out at the Puget (that is, if we get to park along the outer isle).

So mesmerizing. Perfect views!!!

We headed back to Safeco Field. This time we brought the two older kids along. The food is a major reason to go to a sporting event. It is for our family.
Riley, this kid. I hope he never stops making silly faces. Sure makes us all laugh.

These were some of the things that occupied our time last May. So thankful and grateful for the blessings that God so graciously gives us. And also thankful to God for those challenging moments that have helped me grow and humbled me by not allowing my ego to get out of control.

Everything good and positive that broadens

my appreciation and appetite for life is my lifetime goal.

April Outings

Going to baseball games is fun. We love its traditions ... National anthem, the ceremonial first pitch, the ever yummy stadium food, ballpark anthem, 7th inning stretch, and father son bonding time (even if Mom tags along).
These are the little things that make life exciting ... for us. These outings break up the monotony of life and they sure are a treat. I mean, come on! Who doesn't love stadium food!!! I (we) sure as heck do especially their nachos! Hearing the fans cheer is contagious. I just make sure to remember to wear a thick jacket and bring a blanket when going to a baseball game at Safeco Field.

Sometimes innings are slow so I try to remember to bring a book that I can read during these particular instances. And even though Riley has his own seat he likes to sit with his dad.

It was quite cold and it had begun sprinkling so they rolled out the retractable roof. It was cool to see it covering the top opening. We immediately noticed the difference. We were no longer freezing our buns off.

I don't think we go on the ferry often enough so when we do it feels like a treat. There's an ice cream shop in Bainbridge Island called MORA. They offer one of a kind flavors along with the well known ones.
We discovered that a MORA ice cream shop will be opening about ten minutes from our house. Jacob is definitely excited about it.

I love to observe these pretty houses right on the edge of the island. I bet it is so peaceful and with views like these I don't think I would want to leave my home ... however, sometimes I think I'll get bored living on an island given how little there is to do. We like to take spontaneous trips so island living wouldn't work for us at this stage in our lives. Who knows, maybe once we're in our late seventies we will think differently.

Riley and Jacob had a fun afternoon out at Family Fun Center. Riley's your typical boy, full of energy so it was a good idea to take him there to burn off all that energy. He had lots of fun. They played laser tag ...

... and air hockey ...

... and had fun on a Jurassic Park ride.

Afterwards they went to McDonald's for lunch. I'm sure Riley will remember this outing forever. Spending quality time with just his dad is so special and much needed.

A father's deep affection offers a sense of security

and assurance that nothing else can give. The heart

of a child is beautifully designed to respond to that love;

it is a connection strong enough to last a lifetime.

May ...

... was another difficult month for us. There's a couple of things that happened which I'm not ready to share ... hopefully I will in the near future.

Allergies have hit Riley hard this year, first time ever. We noticed that he would get a stuffy nose and would constantly rub it. Other times it was a runny nose and a cough. When the allergies first started we thought he was just coming down with the common cold but I would still make a doctor's appt just to rule out strep or croup.
Poor thing, he would get coughing fits. The nurse thought he was contagious so she gave him a mask but once the doctor said he was dealing with allergies Riley was able to take it off. He also wasn't getting good rest because he couldn't breathe good even though he used nose spray and we had the humidifier going for him. It made me feel bad that he would toss and turn trying to find a position that would allow him to breathe better. The beginning of the year was tedious and he missed quite a bit of school from restless nights or from suffering from croup. He didn't like staying home from school.
He still sounds stuffy on most days but is not coughing and no runny nose. He continues to use saline nose spray at night and some nights he gets better rest than others.

I've said it before. I'm thankful for the mundane because it's the every day things that I do that keep my mind busy which helps me to concentrate on other than my problems/life issues and makes me see how much good is going on in my life making me feel grateful.

I'm thankful that I have a pet that brings happy moments to my life. Sophie makes me smile ... a lot, and is constantly by my side. I think it's so funny to see her get completely comfortable and sleep all human like.

And her long toes are something we constantly make fun of. Libby was so feminine. I loved her furry paws but since Sophie is short hair we get to see all of her imperfections. We love her still.

We went to see the Mariner's play in early May. It was a fun game because the Mariner's were making home runs like crazy. We enjoyed some yummy food. I got my usual, nachos with lots of jalapenos -so good!
I told Riley we should take a selfie and this is the face he decided to make. What the heck, he's silly.

We had a great time.

Whenever we have a sunny day Riley points it out and asks to go to the park. It does feel good to get some sun every now and then.

Riley is still a picky eater but he now eats chicken tacos ... just as long as I also put beans inside and there's ranch for dipping. So weird right? Who puts ranch on their chicken taco? Oh well, the point is -is that he eats it all.

A new Ikea was built right next to the old one. It has been a couple of months since the new Ikea opened and I still hadn't been to it so several weeks ago Sydna and I finally went. The new one is two levels just like the others. I needed to get votive candles and a set of string of lights. It had began to rain and it was chilly but before heading home we first stopped to get pizza. I do love coming home after a day of shopping and getting some take-out. Home feels so cozy.

Funny how Riley notices little things. I like to order things online so I'm constantly getting packages delivered. Some time ago he asked if he'll ever get anything in the mail. I kinda felt bad and so I decided to order him some summer clothes. His package arrived and I had him open it. None of the shorts from last year fit him so I've been buying him shorts whenever I see some I like. He's gone through a major growth spurt lately. When he noticed I ordered him some shorts he got so happy.

I looooovvveee to wear cute socks. I'm a Birkenstock type of girl. I wear my Mayari's and Boston's all the time. Naturally, when I wear my Boston's I wear socks especially right now since it's still chilly on most days so I want to make sure I have cozy socks on hand. Aren't these so cute! and of course, Sophie had to lay right next to the box. Believe me, if I would have put her there she wouldn't have stayed.

I like variety even when it comes to books. I like variety because I don't want to get burnt out reading about one subject for long periods of time however, I don't ever want to stop reading faith based books. They help keep me centered and remind me to stay humble. This is why I like to change things up, I like to make things fun for myself. I read two faith based books then I'll read a fiction book then two faith based books again then a psychological thriller book ... I loop this routine and I'm enjoying this a lot!
Anyway, I had seen previews of the movie The Girl on the Train and it looked interesting but I knew there was a book out about it so I promised myself that I wouldn't watch the movie until I read the book first. This type of read is not for everybody, it contains profanity, sexual scenes and substance abuse. I found the story line interesting but the main character was annoying ... only because she's an alcoholic.

Jacob and I continue to have our lunch dates although sometimes he's gotta take a raincheck because he's swamped at work. But this time he was able to get away. We hadn't had Five Guys in a while because lately we've been going to The Habit or Red Robin whenever we crave a burger. We realized that we no longer like Five Guys. Hard to believe but it's true. Jacob just loves malts. He gets one whenever we get a burger. I don't like the malt flavor and I don't like vanilla bean ice cream but if they have old fashioned vanilla then I get a vanilla shake, yum!

Isn't this cat cookie dough roller the cutest thing?! I saw it advertised on facebook and next thing I know my sister had ordered me one. Thanks Claudia.
We have yet to use it because I'm not a baker but Jacob is so next time we stay home on a weekend I'll have him make me cookie dough. If the cookies come out cute I'll post them. lol.

Back in mid May the sun was already setting late. It was 8:50 pm and look how light it was still. I like it because we get to enjoy being outdoors longer. And when summer's here it gets dark around 10:00 pm. This is one of the few reasons I like summer.

He he!!!! Her head looks big and surprisingly her body doesn't look that fat. Definitely the angle.

On one of our trips to the hardware store I walked past the garden section and saw this stepping stone. I just had to buy it in memory of my Libby girl.

Cats. Just. Don't. Care!!!

On one of our visits to the bookstore we got Riley the book Dinosaur Pet. It comes with a cd and so you read the book melody style. Well, Jacob is the perfect person to read such a silly book and it sure made Riley crack up.

Just before Riley's bedtime I peeked outside his window to find a cool looking popcorn cloud sky. I don't see this type of cloud formations often here so I thought it was quite unique and picture worthy.

He's looking thicker. He's gotten so big. I recently got rid of all of his jeans cause the button wouldn't close, lol. So now he's in need of at least two pair of jeans. Hanging out by the water in the late evenings gets pretty chilly here in the PNW so layers and pants are still very much necessary even during the hot summer months. {happy face}

I cannot believe there's only seven days left of school. Time is going by like lightning.

If we could learn to find happiness from moment to

moment in the small things of life, we'd

always have a pretty good time.

Zoo and A Ball Game

Even before our road trip we've been having lots of sun but not necessarily hot {thank goodness}. If one is in the shade it's so fresh to where at times it can feel chilly.
Our weekends are mostly spent being out doing fun things for the kids and in turn we have fun as well.
Every time we go to the Woodland Park Zoo ends up being a nice fun time. Since we have membership we purposely don't make it a point to see the entire zoo during each visit. We usually see half of it and spend longer periods of time hanging out at certain exhibits.

Riley's so thoughtful. Whenever he sees a flower whether it's a weed or not he'll go pick it, hide it behind his back and surprise me with it. What a sweet little guy but what was more touching to me is that he began doing this all on his own. Now, isn't that something?

Flamingos are funny. I noticed a quirky one that was splashing water with its wings and then going under. It sure was enjoying its bath, lol. But what made me laugh is when it laid on its side, flipped over and got up. A few other flamingos that were near this one kept honking at it because he was getting very close to them.

Back in April I had told Jacob that it would be cool to go see the Padres {our home team} play the Mariners at the end of June. My husband can sometimes be a procrastinator and I forgot about it until like two weeks before the game. Well, Jacob texted me one day and told me he had been gifted two tickets to see the Mariners play. I asked him for what day and with whom and he said June 31st against the Padres. I couldn't believe it. This was the exact day that I wanted to go. The Padres were here on the 30th and 31st and I really wanted to avoid going on the 30th because it was Memorial Day and the stadium would have been very crowded so when Jacob told me the 31st I was overjoyed.
The tickets we got where in a good section but right in the sun. We had just sat down and not even ten minutes later I had to get up and find shade. Jacob was able to exchange them for several rows higher that were out of the sun. Much better!!!

Front facing camera - not great picture quality.
I don't really like being in pictures but I force myself to be in them. Both Jacob and I prefer watching baseball if we're actually there. We get so bored watching it at home.

We don't necessarily follow baseball, we're more into basketball and football. It was cool seeing the San Diego Padres but I wish someone had told me how awful they've been playing. I mean these guys were losing bad. We left during the 5th inning and the score was 16-2. That's bad. I don't know what the final score was. I even asked on facebook if the Padres were usually this bad and I was told they were ... but at any rate I'll still root for them.

Riley's face cracks me up. Not sure if it was the angle I took the picture or what but his mouth looks funny. He was eating cotton candy and so his mouth is tinted in blue but his teeth made me laugh. They look like tiny corn kernels, lol. I know I'm not the only mom who can laugh at their kids {all in good fun though, Riley didn't get upset}.

One of the reasons why I love going to sporting events is for the nachos! Ohmygosh I love nachos. Just plain old nacho cheese with a lot of jalapeños. Nachos from other places don't quite taste as good as the ones at these big venues. And this is why I don't get to eat nachos that often so it's definitely a treat when I do.