September Photo Roundup

I figured that I needed to get all the random bits of photos lying around so that I can blog about what has been brewing in my heart all weekend... So as I do from time to time, here is a photo roundup of our lives from the last month:

One of Natalies first-first grade projects was to make a series of paper dolls about why she is special. Mike and I, Brady, and Makenzie all filled one out and then Natalie had to fill out one herself. "I am special because I am Ceut" I pronounce it "Key-Ute" because she's more than just regular cute!
Makenzie suffered the first wardrobe casuality of the year... Kindergarten is a rough place, there are no promises you won't make it out unscathed.
The girls watching Grayson Chance on the Ellen show... groupies in the making.

Natalie got bumped in the mouth while getting ready to go home on Thursday. Her mater tooth started bleeding and she started panicing. She stamped her feet and gnashed her (remaining) teeth, and pounded her fists in the air through her tears until she found her courage and we got that tooth out! Boy was she happy! And so was I, school photos were only a week away and I really didn't want that dangly tooth in them!

That tooth was just the beginning of Natalies dental woes this month... here she is at Dr. Brady's office (I know) for her consult for dental surgery to have two molars removed (tomorrow). Poor girl.

I went blackberry picking down by the river the other day and this little fella kept me company.

I picked loads of berries, I was so pleased with my harvest. Until I got home and rinsed them and got them prepared for the crisp I had planned for the evenings dessert and noticed all the little wormy things. Mike read about them and offered some solutions but to me they were already garbage. I mean, I know that the amount of bugs and grubs we eat in ketchup and peanut butter is a little disturbing, but it's a whole 'nother thing to see them in your food, then choose to prepare and eat it anyway. That ain't me, chickadee. Blech.

We headed down to the childrens museum Saturday to meet the Seafair pirates and let the kids tour the new rebuilt "Moby Duck"

The Seafair pirates make quite an entrance complete with an air-raid siren and cannon!

And to top off Natalie's "month 'o dental issues" she went and lost another tooth last night! Maybe she should be a Jack-O-Lantern for Halloween!

9/11/11 and kickin it island style.

Michael and I joined 350 other motorcyclists for the Patriot Ride through Snohomish county on the 10th anniversary of 9/11.
It. Was. Awesome.
Fun and moving and a very American way to celebrate the holiday.

We stopped in Clearview at a Fire Station for a break and to regroup. It was here that we realized the shear size of our motorcade. Man there were a lot of bikes.

One of the coolest moments of the ride: Coming through Snohomish and the Fire Department had this enormous flag raised on their ladder truck.

Here's my sweeties beautiful bike. He gets lots of compliments every time we're out. He works very hard on keeping it that way too.

We also spent some time on the island. We brought Christian with us last time so the boys could get some dirt biking in before school started. We always seem to bring some of the island back with us (or on us).

When I went to Colorado a couple of years ago with my bff Jackie, I brought Brady a coon-skin cap back for a souvenir. He loves that thing and we warned him about the dogs stealing his hat on the island, so he decided to just keep it on his head at all times.

K 1 3

Man do I have some catching up to do! The biggest news of the last week is that school started! All kids are in school ALL day! Don't you worry, I have yet to be caught twiddling my thumbs in their absence.


We all walked down to school on a beautiful day:
My goal is to have the kids write their name on this slate every year to watch their handwriting grow as well.


Lots of fake smiles... they couldn't get why I would take their picture in front of a school bus when we're walkers?!

I can't believe they're all in school. Brady being a 3rd grader, wow. I mean, I remember being a 3rd grader! I had Mrs. Davies (and she was rotten to me). Brady has Mrs. Fritzler, which reminds me of the teacher from the Magic School Bus books, Ms. Frizzle. Mrs. Fritzler was one of Brady's summer school teachers and she uses "clickers" in her classroom which Brady loves. By his description they're like a gameshow controller that they enter their answers into and they post to her computer. I don't care if it shoots sparks and whistles, if it keeps his attention then I'm all for it! The 3rd grade is also doing a specialist rotation that seems to be yet another positive move for Brady. The students rotate out of their homeroom to each of the other teachers for science, math, and reading/writing. Another way to break up the monotony of the day and keep Brady excited for school. The science teacher is also his teacher from last year so he looks forward to seeing him every day.

Natalie Sue is a big First grader, she has Mrs. Wartenbee. I loved first grade. It's when all the separate skills you learned in Kindergarten get applied and learning really explodes. But you still get to have a lot of the fun that you had in Kindergarten. She's doing amazing already, her schoolwork is 100% everyday and her homework comes easily for her. BUT... she said a girl from her class last year is pulling the nasty-girl crap already. She'll say "Hi, Natalie!" when it's just them, but out on the playground with other girls around, the girl sneers at Natalie when she says hello. Girls are mean. I hate that it's happening to Natalie (already!) but proud that Natalie is not one of those girls. She has a loving heart and is surrounded by friends and being a good friend herself.

Makenzie is SO excited to be a Kindergartner! On the first day of school, she walked home in the front of the pack like a proud peacock, you could see the pride emanating from her. Mike got a call Friday before school and Makenzie got the last full-day spot due to a sudden opening. And she is loving every minute of school so it's a great stroke of luck that she got in! She is bringing home all sorts of wonderful art, and sings a new song every day on the walk home from school. And I'm rediscovering some books that are classic Kindergarten reads (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom; The Gingerbread Man; The Little Red Hen...)

I can't wait until the teachers get into their routine so I can start volunteering in each of their classrooms!

Today I am 36

My family took me out for an ice cream cone for my birthday day (following a fantastic steak dinner) and this superdad was treating his son to a scoop too. It must have been a spur of the moment idea for them since he forgot shoes... blech! And what is wrong with his ass?

Cousin Cortney took Natalie out for a quad lesson on the island.

Me and my sweetie rode the bike into Langley and played tourist and it was great. We also discovered that the house my Grandma Alice lived in when I was little was the same home that Michael lived in when he came home from the hospital when he was born!

My friend Shu had to fly up from Salem for a seminar so we got to catch up (and drink on her hotel meal credit, woop!)

The kids and I stopped at the antique mall to play while we waited for Shu to arrive.

Not a shabby shot for an iphone, eh?