Kindergarten Clown and Kittens

Ronin graduated Kindergarten last Friday!  We had a little get together for his neighborhood friends and barbecued some burgers and dogs.  He is very excited to be a first grader now and keeps asking when he gets to go back to school.

 

Beginning and end of school season :)

Nice face (ignore the September date- I goofed up)

Being goofy

Quinny really enjoys having people over

Quinn trying to push Sean down

Picking on William

My children bite.

 

Brandee stole my phone... so here she is.

Shelley after brain surgery

Quinny really likes Roberts truck.

 

Ronin's teacher sent out an email with pictures from the school year.  It looks like he made a lot of friends there.

The usual suspects

Miss Henley and Ronin

Last Saturday we went to Goldendale for a family barbecue at Nana and Papa's.  We got to bring Alesha with us, which she might be regretting now that she had to endure an incredible car ride back with the two in the back causing all kinds of chaos and NOT sleeping!

 

Two trouble makers hiding under the table with their stash of cookies, carrots, celery and chips...

Noah and Alesha playing a game...

They caught the kittens!

Alesha loves the animals

On Sunday we went to Costco because I wanted to look at kids books and Ronin wanted to eat the samples.  We found some "I can read!" books to help with his reading.  I started a "penny jar" that the boys get to earn pennies in until it's filled up. Once we get it filled we get to go to Chuck-E-Cheese.  Ronin is excited to read his own books for pennies...  He did a pretty good job with the words he's familiar with and sounded out or skipped the other words.  Quinn got a lift-the-flap farm book and hasn't ripped the flaps off yet...

Ronin reading his new books

 



Last Thursday I was sitting in the living room talking to Madison, when Quinn came running in saying "I found a spider!" I didn't look at him when he came in and just assumed he saw a spider outside and got excited about it.  Well then he walked up to me, and he had a daddy long legs between his fingers!  I noticed it only had about 4 or 5 of it's 8 legs before I jumped up screaming and ran into the backyard, where he followed me laughing the whole way.  ew.  boys are ew.

And what week wouldn't be complete without a coffee picture?! 

My boss bought me one on Monday :) yay!  Maybe I should start taking pictures of my breakfasts someone makes me too...  ;)

Unicorn Poop and Hydrocephalus Walking

Another weekend flew by...  Just think, Christmas will be here in another 6 months. Nooo!

 

Someone posted on my FaceBook page a recipe for "unicorn poop" cookies thinking I am just the person to want to make something so inappropriate with my children.  Well they were right.  We made them, although I cheated and bought pre-made sugar cookie dough because that's the kind of lazy I am.  The boys helped me make the first tray of cookies, and then quickly lost interest and played in the yard instead.  So I was left to roll the poop myself.  The cookies seemed to have a weird summoning effect for neighbor kids though... like a dog-whistle for dogs.  The neighbor children (I'd like to call them something other than children since they are more like our pets at this point- they are always over and waiting to be fed).  The neighborhood children-pets piled in and were full of sugary-goodness in no-time.  Well, just in time to send them back home to their parental units for the night at least.

 

On Tuesday I was having an angsty day -- dreading the summer schedule coming up... It seems so unfair that I have to go 5 whole weeks without seeing my own children.  Quinny is still practically a baby, I should have kept breastfeeding him so nobody could take him away!  But ew.  So anyway my friend Kim was also having a rough week so I took time off of work, kidnapped Alesha and we all three had a sunny lunch on the river at Who Song and Larry's.  It was much-needed and I love spending time with the girls.  :)  Alesha even got a virgin margarita.

Alesha with her margarita

 

My friend Kim

 

Quinn and I enjoying the front porch - I was teaching him duck-lips in case he gets a facebook account and needs to make a selfie.

Quinn chilling with the stupid cat.

More selfies with Quinn - Where is Ronin you might ask? 

He's playing with the neighbor-children-pets.

One night Ronin had a headache and Quinn wouldn't let him go to sleep - he was too busy trying to annoy Ronin by singing and talking really loud.  So Ronin came into my room and we were talking for a while in my bed.  Soon after, Quinn came in with his blanket covering his head "what are you guys doing?"  So I let them sleep with me that night.  :)

 

This is how they looked when I got up.

Ronin went to his last day of Lego Camp last week.  He really loved it and kept saying that he wants to do it again.  I need to look into getting cooler Lego sets so he can build movable Lego contraptions.

Ronin and his Lego creation.

 

Last week we had fire extinguisher training at work.  It's the third time I have taken it but it's pretty fun since you get to use fire extinguishers on a big pot of fire!   I also cut my knuckle trying to pull the pin out :(  so poor me!

Look!  I'm like a real fire-woman!

 

Quinn and Axl

 

On Saturday we did a 2-mile walk for Hydrocephalus.  My friend Shelley has this disease and it requires a shunt in her head to regulate the spinal fluid.  She's had 12 surgeries in the last 20 years I think...  two of those were within the last month :(   The boys did well except Quinn had me carry him much of the way, and my friend Brandee carried him for quite a while too.  I'm not sure what's wrong with HIS legs, but I guess we'll have to get him out walking more so he doesn't wimp out on me next time!

He was SUPER grumpy that morning - he stole my coffee - I thought it might help.

Sean, Quinn and Ronin on the walk

Brandee and Quinny :)

 

 

Ronin was super grumpy here because I wouldn't let him play on the play set that was nowhere near the end of the walk... I told him someone would kidnap him and put him in their basement if he didn't keep walking.

Quinny loved baby Clara- most of the time he was petting her.

Quinn eating a hot dog.

Still grumpy...

 

Quinn Dancing!

 

Photo booth

 

Mandy, baby Clara, Quinn looking at baby Clara, Me, Rachel, Shelley, and Brandee

They got balloon animals! yay!

Sean and Quinn

When we got home, the boys disappeared for a few minutes and then came out with capes on buzzing around the kitchen chasing me -  funny boys.

Super guys

 

On Sunday the boys went with their dad for Fathers Day.  I invited myself over to Roberts to spend the day with him and his crazy and extremely entertaining offspring. He made my favorite: tri-tip steak...  drool...  It's the best meat ever.  yum...    It's pretty obvious where Quinny gets his food-motivation from, right?!   Also, Robert says his daughters ideas have become worse since I started hanging out with them.  Some people might take that as an insult, I don't, I take that as a compliment.  Hey, a really terrible idea is better than no ideas at all.  I bet some of the best inventions came from terrible ideas!  and if not, at least bad ideas are entertaining to talk about and plan out.  Although my tin-foil volcano I built with Madison was a pretty bad idea.  Sorry Madison.  Next time we'll do paper mache...  and food coloring instead of paprika... 

 

So anyway... Ronin's last week of school is this week.  We are having a "Kindergarten Graduation" for him Thursday.  Which I thought was a good idea, but even my super-star kindergartner was like "why am I graduating Kindergarten?  isn't that for high-schoolers?"  The logic is strong with this one...  I was just excited that he's moving on to 1st grade - can't a mother have a graduation every year they don't get held behind?!  When Quinny finally decides he wants to get toilet trained you better believe I'm going to have a Potty Party!

 

Lots of love,

C

Blood, Coffee, BBQ

Last week I bravely gave blood for the 2nd time.  I could have saved up to THREE whole people!  More than likely they discovered too much caffeine and gave it to lab rats instead.  But I'm getting braver with needles and blood!  Soon I'll be able to take up that meth habit I've been thinking about having!  Only kidding mom and dad!

 

This is my arm bleeding my own blood

Same day as blood - the T&D Manager bought us girls coffee!  and these are the ginormous bullets (shells??) Robert got  for my rifle - yay! Oh, and that's me behind both of these things being super excited about it all!

Last week Ronin had his musical debut in Kindergarten!  It was pretty funny to watch, and Ronin was of course a little cut-up.  I took lots of video but they were really long so I didn't post them on here yet.  I kept telling him to blow his nose, so he was the kid who kept wiping his nose on his hand, arm, carpet...  Poor guy.  His nose is finally clearing up though.  They sang a lot of silly songs and got to move around to burn up some energy.

This picture is funny - it looks like he's afraid of girls...

 

And now that the weather is bright and sunny and warm - there's a reason to be outside to barbecue and relax :)  We went to Roberts house for dinner one night and Quinn followed Madison around helping her trim some trees and then proceeded to eat every strawberry that had any sort of pink or red color to it.  If it was too green he'd say it was a "crunchy" strawberry.

 

Quinn and Madison at their house for dinner- he has no concept of personal space. haha

Over the weekend we had our own barbecue with friends and neighbor kids.  It began as me inviting the neighbor kids over to roast marshmallows... but then I decided I didn't want to be the only adult, so I invited a few people... and couldn't help myself... eventually I think there were 12 adults and 7 kids.  I loved it.  It's amazing to me how NOT lonely I feel lately.  And how lonely I really was even with someone else in the house all the time.  I am loving my time with the kids, Robert, his kids, my friends, my family (when I get to see them).  It's a pretty awesome life - and barbecues seem to make it even better. :)

And Robert takes barbecuing very seriously.  I think I would have made a pretty pathetic hostess with my limited preparation that day (trying to avoid over-preparing and stressing out)- so I'm extremely lucky he swooped in to make it easy on me and well furnished.  ;)

Quinn and the neighbor Shilo.

 

Silly man

 

Quinns dirty face almost looks like Roberts goatee

Alesha and Madison

The boys are doing well.  Quinn seems to be getting up earlier lately.  I don't know if he's figured out that he gets to say bye to me if he wakes up early - or if the sunshine in the morning is waking him up.  I guiltily kind of enjoy getting to kiss and hug them both before I leave for work though.  But I feel bad that he didn't get enough sleep.  It's almost summer though and curfews will probably change a bit so I can spend a little more time with them in the evenings :)

 

The boys wrestling

 

Quinn keeps leaving a plastic brain in random places in our house.  It's turned into kind of a joke.  One day I came home and asked "why is there a brain in the hallway?"  which made me laugh.  That night Quinn asked where the brain is because he wanted to sleep with it.  He knows this makes me laugh so he keeps putting it in random places.  Right now it's on top of their TV in the playroom...

 

Ronin seems a little worried about what happens to people when they die, and if he'll go to heaven.  I'm not sure if they are teaching them about heaven and death in Sunday school or what, but I assured him there's no reason he wouldn't go to heaven.  He also remembered a conversation I had with him probably about a year ago about bad people.  I told him that I didn't believe people could be completely bad, but some might do bad things more than others.  He reminded me about that conversation, and I assured him he's definitely a good kid and any of us can make bad decisions because we can't be perfect.   Seems like such heavy topics for a 6 year old to think and talk about.  So I find that pinching his butt and tickling him are more age appropriate things to do. :) 

 

Both boys seem to play too hard and are super grouchy at night - which is super fun for me.  But I love how they quiet down when we get a book out to read.  Sometimes Quinn will even stay up a little later to hear the book Ronin and I are reading.  Oh and Ronin made his goal of reading 100 books during his school year and is so excited to turn in his reading journal to get a prize!  He's loving his Lego camp every wednesday too, he comes home to practice what they did in camp that day.  :)

 

Quinn and I were sitting outside the other day and he came over to hug me and said "I love my little mommy"  it was the freaking cutest thing!   And he's still bugging me to go back to the Ape Caves - he said he's older now so we should go. ha ha!

I think I'll collect crazy coffee pictures everytime I get a foofy coffee...

And this is what happens when Quinn sneaks back in the house while I'm mowing the lawn.

 

Lots of love,

C