spring clean

can i call it spring?  we set a new record for longest snowfall, a nearly 60-year record at that.  i'm totally not proud of this sort of record.  disgusted, rather.  on saturday, when we were getting dumped on, i was a click away from alaskaair.com.  i was sooo ready to hop a flight - anywhere!  but, sunday came and the snow went.  now, we've had blue skies and warmth behind the sunny-sun.  i've been in tank tops; the kids already have some pink on their cheeks; and ben's working on his sunglass tan lines... bring on summer!

you'd think this would have left my system after the baby did... more nesting.  but, in my defense, i was robbed of those last few weeks and the weeks in between.  baby tess' room was never finished and because we didn't know she was a she, i had my rubbermaid totes of jack and dylan's baby clothes, just taking up space.  6 totes to be exact.  plumb-full of teeny tiny clothes.  some small enough to slip on a man's foot.  oh, they're so wittle!  you kinda forget how small they are (until you're pushing one out...) and then before you know it, they have triple-chins, and their wrists look like they're hiding rubber bands.  starfish hands and double-dimpled elbows.  ugh.  totally delicious.

with anticipation of my cousin coming to visit, i wanted to clean up tess' room so sammi had a place to sleep (since tess and i are still doing the co-sleeping insanity-dealie).  i separated out the girly clothes from boy clothes - pinks and yellows into the closet, trucks and puppy dogs into my largest tote - those boy clothes are headed south to a super-deserving and loved friend who is expecting a boy in september.  i admit, i was a little teary-eyed to say bu-bye to jackie's baby clothes, but nothing excites me more than knowing my girlfriend's little boy will be sportin' his duds.  after all the clean up, i had an overflowing tote for her, one tote of my favs that i just couldn't part with and five empties to return to the crawl space.    

fast-forward to this morning, i spent jackie's school day between the crawl space and the great room.  tote after tote, eight totes in all, of MY old clothes.  i guess i got to thinking - why am i holding onto these things?  when am i ever going to wear these things again?  mostly, i came across work clothes, dressy-type tops and bottoms from my office, high-heel days.  oh, those are long gone!  if i can't wear my smartwool socks or the shoe's not waterproof, forget it!  

it was a morning of walking through the 2000's, even some high school clothes.  wow.  remember wearing overalls?  i had two pairs.  doc martens?  i was so bold.  abercrombie & fitch?  goodbye.  i did put aside my soccer memories:  the cleats i wore in my last game, my nike shinguards, jerseys from my select teams.  it's hard to let go of some things, despite the pain from the memories.  other things?  a cinch to toss in a pile - a top from a first date, a dress from high school graduation, an outfit from an interview, a flannel from a sadie hawkins dance - like i said, a walk through my old life.  pre-kids, pre-benji.  a really odd concept!  none of it made sense to keep, almost like holding onto the past - and for what reason?  i'm happy to donate these countless pounds of clothes, and i wish them all the best in their new future closets.

and, what spring clean would be complete without the 6-month teething cleaning?!  i sooo enjoy taking the kiddos in.  it's humorous to hear (and watch!) their conversations while dealing with strange instruments in their mouths.  jackie was very polite, throwing out pleases and fank yous without being prompted.  dylan was little miss shy but so cooperative.  miss kathy asked her to open her mouth real wide, and dylan just that, including her hand open wide - see?  silly thing!

donuts & friends

since moving out to the valley, lesley has been one of my dearest friends.  we worked together very briefly, but connecting over our boys was when we really developed our friendship.  she's one of those friends you don't see or talk to as much as you'd like, so you just pick right back up where you left off.  those are the only kind of friends that i'm able to have these days, anyway!  and, how great that she fully understands!

it's hard being a full-time mama.  it appears like we have all the time in the world to just go and play as we please, but it really is work to make these play dates happen.

so on this early afternoon, we brought over our box of donuts to share with our friends.  david immediately grabbed a chocolate donut, as jb and dylan had enjoyed theirs on the drive over.  donuts and milk in the truck?  whatta treat.

actually, it doesn't matter where you devour them.  

it worked out just fine for david in his backyard.

kind of a gloomy day, but that didn't stop us from enjoying the bubbles.     

or the swings.  

thank goodness, there were 3!

i found out not too long ago that lesley and her fam are moving to the lower-48.  (i actually burst into tears when she broke the news - i couldn't help it!)  i'm going to miss her dearly, but she gives me a reason to hop on a plane.

best wishes for a smooth move, gf!  i'll be thinking of you 3!

colony days

for me, colony days kinda marks the start of summer.  technically, it was two weeks ago, but still.  the valley starts to have more and more sunshine than overcast gloominess.  and, even on this day, we did get dribbled on, it was nothing that would have kept us home and away from the fun.  we all had some laughs, the kids wore themselves out (and snoozed on the way home) and everyone was brave enough to have their face painted.   

 jack participated in the pony rides, 

 while dylan did not.

just a perfect way to spend a day with some friends.

moose park

ok, so that's not the exact name, but it's behind the moose lodge in palmer, so it's easy to just smoosh them together.  we usually only play there but once a year, and it takes me visiting it to realize why: i hate it.

can you really hate a park?  likely not, but i am in a constant state of anxiety and paranoia throughout the entire visit.  a park so big, with a 1,000 different ways to climb, scale, run about, hide... it's a parent's nightmare.

also, it's one of those parks where big kids tend to loiter, attempt to skateboard or play tag like a bunch of madmen.  so, we never stay long enough, but the kiddos sure enjoy it while we're there.

this is only a 1/4 of the park.  it's much easier to climb up there and run around with them.  if you try to parent from below, one child goes one way and the other goes the other way.  it scares me to death to not be able to see my children.  there's only one entrance/exit, and the entire playground is fenced in, but i noticed 3 slats in the fence are missing - perfect sized space to escape!  and i'm sure, by the time we leave, the entire park population knows my kid's names.  i can't help myself; i'm a nervous nelly.

 slide action shot!

 and reaction shot!

 check the air!

they're adorable.

and i made them.  

the tonkas go off-road

the last week of april, we headed out to reflections lake, at the base of the chugach mountains.  it was one of the first warm, sunny spring days, and we were all anxious to get out and soak it up.  jackie thought it would be fun to bring the tonkas, and dylan quickly agreed.  while the walk was a little more leisurely than usual, it all worked out since we had no better place to be. 

   

the kids love their tonka trucks.  my girl friend, sarah, bought jackie's for his 1st birthday.  they hold the test of time, yeah?  it's definitely his longest-lasting toy (that's been pushed to it's limit!)  last summer, after dylan had finally mastered running, she was frequently busted by jb, pushing along his precious truck.  how many times i heard no, duey, dat's mine! were (are) countless.  

for months, i had been searching, the better part of a year really, and i finally found a stock of METAL dump trucks.  i wanted a bigger one like jack's - he loves that handle - but i was willing to take whatever i could get.  i couldn't believe how hard it was to find them.  so, i did what any sane parent would do - bought two on the spot; one for a gift and the other for my daughter.  and, just to comfort the girly niche in my heart, i spray painted the dumper pink.  

they have some miles on those eight wheels.  and they sure come in handy, escorting furry friends.   

 i promise this was all in love.

 no doubt this was, too.

 even on cloudy days, she glows.

this child has some serious spirit.

 i'm so glad to have captured this moment.  

the one with her pointed finger.  

this is something she does, everywhere and always accompanied with a DOOK!

(similar to jack's YOOK!  are L's that hard to say?!) 

and, i just love that she wants to give every lovey a shoulder ride.

 3/4 of the way through, the kids were pooped.

so, the go bug was put to the {weight} test.

can you tell they're sibs?  

check out their same look!

 finally, the bridge!  

number one reason we walk this trail.

and just how sweet is jb?  

picking flowers for his mama.

a hike with friends

what's the best way to spend a 60-degree day, with kids, in the valley?  we hike the butte.  jack requests this hike once a week, sometimes more, and he usually follows it up with: 

can mimi & gaige come too?  

this time, they could!

half way point

future sheep hunter, taking the steep, rocky route

lunch atop.

we found a perfect grassy area to stretch out and chow down on some sammiches.

notice the copy cat, attempting to cross her legs, too.

beautiful little ladies

this series reminds me of bambi.  

spring time.  

you know, when flower, thumper & bambi follow their little girlyfriends?  

um, yeah...

these two have been friends for a long time.

they continually surprise me with their antics, and i can't help but smile.

and then sometimes, the sweetness is short-lived.  

i just wanted ONE group picture.

(and one is all i got!)

but, oh!  

he'll pose with her ♡  

this is lazy mountain.

ben and i are planning to hike this a few times in preparation for sheep season.

just a few months away...

the end.
for now.

mama day, part 2

after our walk, we trekked into anchorage to feast with the fam.  the moores sure know how to put out a spread!  after we all fueled up, the kids took to the yard.  jackie jumped on the trampoline, and dylan played with the pooches (and tried to steer clear of the {serious} croquet game!)

again, i hope you all hugged your momma, picked up the phone, mailed a card, sent a text (no, please do more!), picked flowers, smooched a cheek, spent some time -  something - to let your momma know how much you love her!  being a mother is one of the most thankless jobs ever and you have no idea how much we appreciate the teeniest of tiny sentiments or actions.  fo reals.


God could not be everywhere, so he created mothers.  Jewish Proverb

mama day, part 1

this day is just so special.  it always has been.  i take the moms in my life - the relationships i have with them - very serious.  my mother and i have always been close.  we never had the feuding that most mother/daughter relationships go through in those adolescent years.  we've always been close, and i imagine we'll continue to grow closer (if that's possible!) in the coming months and years ahead.  the other moms in my life have also affected the way i mother, for your presence:  i owe you; i thank you; i love you.

while we had plans for the afternoon, our morning was to be determined.  it looked as though the rain would hold off and allow us to get out and stretch our legs, chase children and bulldog and breathe in that alaskan air - and it did.  

we chose the hayfield trail because it's close to our house, and we had yet to walk it in its entirety since the first part of october.  we were overdue.  

 hello, duey down there.

 ...breakin twees, breakin twees, imajust breakin twees...

if i were smarter, more savvy, jb's above quote would have music notes around it. 

 she certainly doesn't act her 8 years of age.  

someone should really take those springs off her paws.

 forever pleasing ben.

 ahhh, mother's day.  

this picture {and my babies + husband} bless me beyond words!

 miebs girls.

small sidebar here...

before we make our nightly trek to the kid's respective bedrooms for their slumbers, ben proposes two questions.  it's simple and both kids have an answer.  although, the copycat usually follows you-know-who.  so, here's the question, do you want to be carried like: a sack of potatoes or a wittle baby?

while i'm not into the sack of potatoes carry, i do the wittle baby to humor jackie and get him to curl up and calm down.  i whisper and sing into his ear while we make the move toward snoozeville.  

obviously, you notice who does do the sack of potatoes carry, and who also does not heed the getting-them-all-riled-up-before-bedtime-no-no, right?!  buuut moving on, here, you'll notice dylan in the sack of potatoes carry.  this was her consequence for being so dang pokey during our walk.  ben asked me several times 

is she serious with that pace?!  

he couldn't believe that our 2.5 foot tall daughter wouldn't be able to keep up... but, she does gets distracted by sticks, rocks, and tasty thumbs.  and if she's really on point, she'll plop down in the muck and chill out for some minutes.  it's just what happens.  she's two!  

we arrived back at the house just in time to wash up and change clothes.  we even had time to squeeze in a little mani.  

and as always, more to come...