Summer is Around the Corner

Hunter had a field day at school followed by a picnic. I had volunteered to make cupcakes for his entire grade. Instead of just doing simple cupcakes, I decided to make cupcakes with butterfly decorations. I found the idea online and it showed the wings made out of the candies that look like orange slices with a rind. I searched high and low (eight stores) for the candies. I never found them so I used thicker less realistic wing. The cupcakes ended up a hit. I guess kids will eat anything with gummy worms.

Love You Forever

No new pictures to post, just a simple thought. I am grateful to my core to have the opportunity to be a mother to two precious boys. Tonight after dinner we took a relaxing walk, came home and got cleaned up. I finished the night reading Curious George stories. Tonight I read a favorite book of mine that I wanted to share in case someone doesn't know about it. Robert Munsch's Love You Forever is story that's hard to put into words. Somehow it embodies the lifelong connection you have to being a parent.

I love my boys.

Last Pack Meeting of the Year

Hunter has treasured his Cub Scouting this year. His leader is an amazing and patient man who generously gives his time and experience as an Eagle Scout to our boys. Hunter was on stage to receive several badges he's earned in the last month.

Here are his friends, Michael, Hunter, Sam and Zane.


Jack wrapped up the night with some carrot cake and maracas.

Happy Memorial Day

A happy and safe Memorial Day to everyone! The boys and I did our "patriotic duty" and went shopping. We found the stores fairly empty. Good news for families spending time together, but not great news for our economy.

During a marathon laundry folding, someone decided to be the "man of the house", but he found there is something to be said for the expression big shoes to fill...or in this case big shorts and shirt.
The HAWK spent much of the afternoon practicing diving. His highest recorded score was an 8.5, but he began with a zero, so that's an improvement.


TRAVELERS NOTE: Quiet day, missing you and a fun family time.

Sunday Night Brownies

Brownies have become a tradition in our house on Sunday nights. They rarely make it until Tuesday. Jack was so covered in chocolate and the remains of his dinner that I thought I would share.

You can see Hunter in the back with his Lego creations. He's never without at least one.

Beach Day

We spent the day at the beach, but I forgot my camera. It was probably better that I wasn't distracted because Hunter had two friends join him along with Jack. The waves were rougher than I've seen in awhile and Jack found this level of daring too irresistible. Lately he has been less enthusiastic about the ocean, so it stands to reason when its rough he wants in. The boys all had a great time. After the beach they came back and swam in the pool. Both boys are enjoying their long holiday weekend.

TRAVELERS NOTE: Jack was so brave, you would be surprised compared to the last few times. His teeth are doing well and his appetite is great.

We didn't get much time outside today before the rain started. But here the rain is much needed, so we aren't complaining. Jack got some good bubble blowing practice in, which is good in his speech therapy.

Jack is a sweaty guy. Once he gets hot its like the sweat bursts from his head. Good thing the pool is fixed.
It doesn't take an invitation for Hunter to jump in. Being in the vicinity of the pool constitutes an offer to swim. He wanted to show off his Lego castle creations for the picture, apparently this features Snape as a samurai.

TRAVELERS NOTE: Hugs and kisses from Hunter, Jack and Luca... xoxo

Train!

A dream come true for Jacky! We were picking up a fiberglass turtle to decorate for a fundraiser for Children's Home Society when we heard the train coming. The CHS office is right next to the tracks. We got close (by kept a safe distance) and Jack so excited.

The rest of our evening was typical including feeding the beast. Luca will sit and wait for Jack to put his food into the bowl. Sometimes Jack takes his time and pats the food down or arranges it just so. Luca won't budge until he's told. Such a good puppy.


SPECIAL MESSAGE TO TRAVELERS: We miss you very much, but hope you are having a wonderful time. Stay safe and come home soon. :)

Where Have We Been?

Wondering where we've been? Well, in the last month we've been busy being a family. It's remarkable to me when I think how much has happened in the last month. Of course, there's been the awesome fun that we love to have, but we've worked hard to get important things accomplished too.


In addition to truly rockin' the slip 'n slide, The HAWK was a narrator in his school play, "Charlotte's Web" where he got tons of laughs.

Jack braved the slip 'n slide, not wanting to miss a single thing his big brother does. He also flew the friendly skies back to Beantown for a visit with his surgery team. The team along with a speech pathologist concluded that all surgeries are on hold until he makes significant progress with his speech. Since then, he's started speech therapy through the county system (so-so results). We also started with a private speech therapist who specializes in cleft affected speech. She has been awesome (and so has Jack).

We appreciate having the beach so close, especially when the boys get an immeasurable amount of sand in their hair and baggies. Hunter's hair continues to grow. A friend's mother recently called him a "hair farmer" and in many respects he is. He's decided to grow his hair to donate to Locks of Love. I'm still amazed by the scope and depth of his generosity and understanding.

Jack has more energy than anyone else in our family. He is in a constant state of motion, expect this afternoon...we have to keep him pinned down. He's recovering from a major dental procedure today which included 12 fillings, a crown and an extraction of an abscessed tooth. His teeth were in rough shape to begin with and have only gotten worse in the last year. The dentist says they got a bad start in China, but that we can get them back on track.

Hunter loves to head to the park or be outside as much as possible. Every trip to the park includes a custom HAWK invented game. He's a creative guy. Last week we went to his school for a presentation of a book he wrote and published in one of his classes. The book was the story of Snowy (a snow Moleopard - combo of a mole and a leopard). He dedicated the book to his family and his cub scout leader (again...what a kid).

Biker boys! We've been biking a great deal in preparation for our summer trip to the mountains. I promise to post again before then. :)