Seanism of the Year

Wow. I can't believe my husband popped this one out last night while we were sitting on the couch. I had to turn my head 90 degrees and stare for a minute to make sure he was completely serious. He was. Here's what he said:

"You know, I like the way the salt on my face tastes after a long run. It's better than Costco salt. I bet it would be great on popcorn. If only I had a way to harvest it."

Yes. It's all true, I tell you.

Summer is here! The kids are finally out of school and I am SOOO happy. We celebrated with lunch at a local dive with some friends. The kids participated in their first official track meet and loved it. We went for a 14 mile bike ride on Friday from our house to Carnation with four other moms and their kids. We had multiple birthday parties Saturday to attend, followed by a Slip n' Slide extravaganza on our front lawn with a herd of little people, and I finally finished reading a book for the first time in quite some time. We are so blessed. Good times, great friends...we love you all...

This is a series of pictures I took of Tanner at the Fall City 5k. Notice how his feet never touch the ground...:)

Kalli and her bestest friend Nicole at their gymnastics recital.

Kalli sizing up the competition at the track meet. Look closely at the expression. She means business!
Tanner, Jared, Preston and Tucker. One of my boys with his tongue out and one with his mouth stuffed; very much in their element...

Before the bike trip. Afterward we were walking like jilted cowboys.

Kate and lots of green. Don't we live in a beautiful place?

Kate's final band concert.
Tucker being Tucker.
Tuck's last baseball game.
Oh, sure...you're thinking I threw this one in for the shock effect. No, no. Look closely; Sean's in the distant background. :)
Kalli with her hair done. It lasted about 45 seconds.

Tucker and Emmy

Here's the man! We're so proud of him. We had a fantastic weekend with lots of family in town: Anna and Sawyer from TX, Grandma & Grandpa Houser from ID, Grandma and Grandpa Sundwall from MN, Judah and Kes and their tribe from the tri-cities and a surprise visit from Javan and Niobe from CO. We are so grateful for everyone's willingness and sacrifice to come help us celebrate Tucker's birthday and baptism.

That being said, Mother Nature was a bad, bad girl this past week. We did sneak in a hike down to Snoqualmie Falls between rainstorms on Sunday afternoon but other than that it was a pretty gloomy weather weekend. Today's headline read, "Colder than Siberia!" Apparently it is reported to reach a high of 61 degrees in that notoriously nippy wasteland and only 58 degrees here. Anyone looking to relocate to my state anytime soon?!!

It's another crazy week with the kids finishing up endless projects at school and basbeball and track overlapping, so I'll post a few pictures and sign out for now. See ya!


We have a "don't ask, don't tell" policy with Tucker



Anna, "Emmy" and myself. Oh, yes, it's real. My brother Judah's team at Lockheed Martin won it for Best Commercial (or something like that) at the regional Emmy's last weekend while he was here. We spent a good hour coming up with uses for this little beauty. Great late night entertainment!!


Sawyer, Tanner and Tucker...inseparable as always!


Prying the Gameboys from their little paws was no easy task



The fam at the baptism

Furry Mayo

Boy brains fascinate me. I love to hear what's going on in there. This morning after I got out of the shower, I hear Tucker's little voice from the depths of my bed: "Come snuggle under covers." (He's been saying this since he was two). So I get dressed and climb in with him.

After a few minutes, he says, "Wish Dad was here, too. Then we could make aTucker sandwich." (This is where Sean and I smoosh a kid between us in bed; Sean and I are the "bread" and the kid is the "meat". They love it.)

Just then, the cat jumps in and Tucker sticks him between us. So I say, "What part of the sandwich is Lincoln?" Without pause Tucker says, "He's the furry mayo and I'm the bloody turkey." Of course. Because what is a sandwich without furry mayo and bloody turkey?!

It's been a crazy week. Last Wednesday Kate and I ventured out on the fifth grade overnight field trip to Mount St. Helens. It was good to spend time with my Kate and gain some insight into the inner-workings of the 5th grade social scene. Outside of getting pummeled in the face with a basketball during a game of Bump and having to sleep on the floor of a high school gym, the trip was fantastic.

Sean, Grandma Susan and the kids picked us up in Chehalis and we took off to Newport, Oregon, where we stayed for two nights. Grandpa Dale joined us on Saturday. The kids swam and swam at the hotel and played in the sand on a chilly beach and we all ate way too much. Saturday morning Sean won the Newport Marathon and set a new time record, 2:22:47. He's got some cheetah blood in him. We're very proud. He also brought home a stunning three-foot-tall trophy of a wood-carved blue heron mounted on a piece of driftwood. Curious.

Speaking of Sean and boy brains, I have two Seanisms regarding our new dog. (Lisa, these are for you...) I'll preface the first -ism by saying that the dog we bought was not cheap and the cat we own was free. So here goes.

Seanism #1: Fletcher the dog and Lincoln the cat are playing, and Lincoln bats his claw at Fletcher. Sean springs from his seat on the couch and shouts, "Hey, free cat, leave my expensive dog alone!"

Seanism #2: We're on a leisurely family walk and Fletcher cuts sharply from the sidewalk to the street. Sean yells, "Get the dog! That's some expensive road kill if he gets hit!"

Tucker's baptism is this Saturday. We're so excited! Can't wait to see some of you there. Have a great week~ Mara

Tanner, beach and ball (but not a beach ball :)

My girls

Busy beach bodies

I was going to ask for opinions on what brand of carcass this is, but Dale and I did some digging and pinned it as a wolverine...the things you find while beach combing...

Man on a mission (near the finish line). Look at that set jaw. Grrr.