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.

Two Minutes

I'm going to see how much I can type in two minutes. A strange challenge, but necessary as I'm on the run again!

Tucker had his 8th birthday party at a local pool this weekend. The kids seemed to enjoy the experience and I only heard the lifeguard scream madly at our group of sixteen two or three times. Such good kids...

Memorial Day the kids, Sean and I spent the morning working on the yard, which was looking a bit trashy. The kids dug in and worked hard; always nice to see. And no one ate any worms. That afternoon we had a party for a friend at the park and played kickball. The crowning moment was the Dairy Queen ice cream cake. Good thinking, Ty.

Driving Tanner to baseball this afternoon, I was thoroughly enjoying the winding rode that passes the beautiful Snoqualmie Falls. The trees almost completely cover the road in certain spots and if you go fast enough you can get the Indy 500 Fantasy going. Then I looked ahead of me and saw one of those ghastly lime green Honda Elements and the experience was totally ruined because those cars remind me of OB Tampon boxes.

I'm out.


Boys and balls at Tuck's party





Sweet Tuck is 8!

Quirks

I've been tagged a few more times, so here goes. The rules are as follows:

1. Link the person who tagged you
2.Post these rules
3.Tell about six unspectacular quirks about yourself
4.Tag six fellow bloggers by link

1. I am a gum snob. I am more likely to give you a vital organ than my last piece of gum. Freud would probably blame my mother who, when spurred by a gum craving, would go to her purse in vain, finding only an empty pack of gum and countless wrappers. She would fly into a fit of innocuous (Mormon) expletives and swear vengeance, which never came to pass. I carry on the tradition and breed fear into my offspring, who know that depending on my mood, asking for gum could be potentially fatal.


2. I am a bleeding heart. A gushing, spurting, bloody mess. I can be suckered into any good cause. Cases in point: When I was twelve, I played mother duck to eight lost and distressed ducklings that lived on our property. I was beside myself with worry that they couldn't find their mother. I quacked my way, arms flapping, from the barn to the pond. They followed me, so I must have made one great duck! I was once talked into helping the "March of Dimes" by canvassing several neighborhoods and begging for donations (which is not my forte to begin with) while nine months pregnant. I literally cannot pass a homeless person without donating something, which sometimes amounts to little more than a few pennies and some pocket fuzz. Last summer I bought several magazine subscriptions from an inner-city African American boy who claimed to be a recovering drug addict. He bled me dry after showing me pictures of his two illegitimate children and his crippled mother on a park bench. Below is a picture of a recent bleeding heart scheme that I fell victim to. I found this shirt in a store and the tag said, "Proceeds from your purchase will be donated to end hunger in Africa by the year 2025." How could I not buy it?! What if my purchase was that last $20 they needed to end world hunger??!!! So if you want sympathy (or want to see my great duck impression or need a buck or two) I'm your gal!



3. I have a hate-hate relationship with my alarm clock. Truthfully it borders on a homicidal bias; I loathe the thing. Here's what happens every morning in my bedroom. Depending on the morning, I vary the time I set for the alarm to go off. Predictably it goes off right on time, and I, in a hazy stupor, fling my left arm over my body and pound the bedside table with surprising force until I pummel the snooze button. This is the part where most people go back to sleep, or at least doze dreamily. But not me, oh no. This is the part where I lay silently fuming, admittedly not completely conscious, but definitely not peacefully tugging myself from sleep. I smolder. I seethe. I think of all the ways I could decimate the thing. Once again, I'm sure Freudian theorists would have a field day analyzing my quasi-cognizant reactive state. The snooze-button bashing goes on for quite some time most mornings, which is completely counter-productive since I rarely go back to sleep. I probably need therapy but it's a great way to expel some pent-up aggression every day! Kudos to Sean who is either very patient during my morning ritual or is off running somewhere.

4. To coin the old Lays potato chip phrase, "no one can eat just one...," well, I can't eat just one of anything. Even if I don't like it. The sad truth is that I usually eat ALL of whatever it is I'm eating. For example, Frito Lay came out with these Flat Earth Cinnamon Apple chips and they don't sell them in the snack size, so I buy the big bag. And eat the whole thing. In one sitting. I don't need to be hungry, depressed or bored, I just keep eating because that's what I do. Mind you, I don't do it every day, but I've been known to pack in large amounts of food in one sitting and raise some eyebrows. So if anyone is up for an eating contest, I say, "Bring it on!"

5. Quite contrary to my language-loving nature, there are specific words in the English language that I despise. (Again, the negativity thing...I obviously have issues). I won't provide an exhaustive list, but here are a few to give you an idea: side dish, sophistry, felicitous, slice, spandex, hemmroid (I won't eat Altoids because they conjure up that word in my head), scrotum and testicle (yes, I went there!), and plush (an aside: my son purchased this freaky "plush" rendition of Edgar Martinez during the garage sale last week. How drunk did Edgar have to be in order to agree to that gig??? Notice the "WalMart" logo on the freaky bear's paw. That explains A LOT). I could go on, but I won't. Suffice it to say that you won't hear me use these words voluntarily. Although I did have to use "side dish" in an email yesterday and fell victim to a migraine shortly thereafter.

6. I will close with a phrase that I repeat in my head almost daily; usually when I've completed something difficult. I borrow the phrase from the '90s movie, "Pig in the City," and it was spoken by the pensive Scottish farmer who owned Pig. After Pig had saved the city, the farmer said, "That'll do, Pig. That'll do." I love that phrase.

So I'm going to tag Sara Holdman, Keslie Houser, Sydney Young, Michelle Taylor, Tami Smith and Shelby Steele. Inspire me, ladies.

See ya!

Growing Up = Freaking Out

I've had several alarming reminders the past few days that my Katelyn is growing up. Which means that I, subsequently, am freaking out.

A few nights ago Kate and I took the dog for a walk and as we were talking, she slipped her hand into mine. Something felt strange, and I pulled our interlocked hands up for a better look; her hands are almost the same size as mine.

I found Kate rummaging through my drawers on Sunday. When I asked what she could possibly be looking for, she said she needed to borrow a camisole to go under her dress. I snickered and said, "Sweetie, it won't fit." Alas, it did.

This past weekend a friend of mine asked if she could "hire" Katelyn to be her Mother's Helper once a week; essentially to come to her house and entertain her daughter and do some menial chores. That sounds suspiciously a lot like a job to me. Kate happily accepted.

Yesterday Katelyn drowned herself in a book for hours. She found me in the kitchen before bed, her eyes twinkling (and she has very twinkly eyes to begin with!), and rattled off the plot and some funny lines from the book. "You have to read it, Mom," she said. So when she went to bed I picked it up and flipped through it. It looked intriguing. It's a strange thing when your kid asks you to read a book that you might actually get into!

Last night I went to take the dog out to the bathroom and it had rained, so I slipped on a pair of shoes in the dark garage. I didn't notice until I was outside that I was wearing Kate's new flip flops and they fit.

I know, I know, you're thinking, "Get over it. Kids grow up every day," and you're correct. But not my kids! It serves as a sobering reminder to me that my time with them is short and that I only get one chance. It also serves as a reminder, on those days when I feel sudden urges to wring a neck or two, that they're necks won't always be within such close wringing proximity!!

Little Wonders

He's here! Sommer and Ben's little wonder, Talmage Allen Reynolds. He's beautiful! Mom, sibs and baby are doing fine. Jury's still out on Ben. :) Talmage shares Tucker's birthday, May 16th, which made Tuck very happy. His "best gift," he said.

Blazes! We've had some hot weather and although it does feel strangely nice to sweat behind my knees for the first time in a long time, I can honestly say I couldn't live with this kind of heat for more than a few consecutive days. I am always amazed at how drastically the weather can fluctuate from one day to the next. Kind of like my moods. Mother Nature is a fickle lass, eh?!

Grandma Susan is in town for three weeks and although she's staying at Sommer's we get to see her often and enjoy her humor and energy. Chances are good that she and Dale will be joining us permanently here in the NW within the next several months, which we're very excited about.

This weekend was the community garage sale, which I usually avoid for two reasons. One, I spend money on stuff I don't need and that seems to fill corners of my house that I'd rather leave empty, and two, because I have this weird sense of intrusion when I dig through other people's "stuff."


Katelyn thought it would be a fantastic idea to hold our very OWN garage sale in order to purge our home of the many, many items we don't need, use, want or care about. Thinking that perhaps this would serve the additional purpose of teaching my progeny the finer dealings of commerce and monetary value, I conceded. (May I add here that digging through other people's stuff is uncomfortable: other people digging through my stuff is excruciating!!)


I procrastinated the unpleasant task of systematically sorting through our junk all week and paid for it. I had to shock myself into action with some Def Leppard and Van Halen cranked way too high on my I-Pod and powered through until 2am Saturday morning to stack and price everything.


The sale itself was marginal, but what I loved is that my kids and I spent the entire morning hanging out in the garage together. We ate breakfast on a tablecloth on the garage floor, played card games and listened to music. We ruminated about the weather, shared stories about school and visited with garage salers. My kids will probably vaguely remember the experience, and I'm not sure my educational purposes for holding it were attained, but I won't forget the sheer comfort of their nearness, innocence and ease.

Have a great week! Mara


The Week in Pics:





















Kalli's field trip with Dad on Thursday to the Seattle Children's Theatre


















Tucker & Logan at school on Tuck's bday




















Two Prom-bound Laurels in our ward. Such fun girls...



















Kids in a realtor's golf cart while we were house shopping with Grandma Susan this afternoon. Qualified as the "thrill" of their week.














Kalli and Tucker attempting to dig up the mammoth tree stump in our backyard.