Getaway

After school let out yesterday, we drove out to the WA coast to the town Seabrook. We were just here back in April during spring break with Ma. We've rented a much smaller place this time for just the 5 of us. It's nice, but the last place was so fabulous, this is like we're slummin' it. Ha! Spoiled.

Really, though, I do feel spoiled, even if this place isn't as big or well stocked as the last. I mean, raising my 3 boys is so hard. {One is super moody, another is happy yet wildly crazy, and the third is super duper moody, cute, and wildly crazy.} I'm usually exasperated by 9am. BUT! Yes, there is definitely a silver lining. Raising these boys comes with priceless rewards, like the things we did as a family today, and I feel so fortunate.

Hiking down to the beach via the "Gnome Trail."

Crosby putting on David's Cavs ball cap like it ain't no thang.

Seeing my 2 year old flying a kite for the first time.

Playing in the sand & finding tadpoles {yeah, on the beach!}.

And, my life is extra sweet because I have the best husband to share these moments with. He said to me while we were on the beach, watching our boys with another random group of kids, "I love seeing kids play & explore like this. It's what growing up should be like." I love his appreciation for the wonders of childhood.

Last Day of School

I can't believe I only took one picture all day.

What is even harder to believe is that school is over. Come September 9, I will have a 3rd grader, a 1st grader, and a preshooler! Oh my. Yea, C will do 2 half-days at a Mandarin immersion school on the east side. It's so minimal that I won't really get anything done. 

Anyway, here's the one picture.

I did take a few pictures from Ty's kindergarten celebration last week!

Wash In Cold

As a kid, I wanted to Sun-In my hair like the rest of the girls at school. But, I knew that my mom would disapprove. Yeah, I said, "disapprove." Even though my parents considered me to be "wild," I was really pretty good. I mean, Sun-In would leave some pretty obvious evidence of me rebelling against something Ma felt strongly against. I wasn't stupid.

Fast forward, oh, 20-something years (or more) later. I'm a mom of 3. Now, the clock is ticking, and I only have a few more years to pull off something as crazy as neon blue and neon green hair. Funny enough, Ma thinks it's great! Ah, I love her. 

So, this is the wildest of my wild hair. In the past year, I've done some purple with blue and bits of green, some blue with pink, and now this. It's taken me a few weeks to get used to, but it's pretty fun. I feel like it makes people do a double take and think, "What? Anny?" Yup, it's the same, pretty good-girl me. Just with a little extra color.

Oh, and my little tip for colored hair...wash in cold water. Yaoza!

Morning Bird Feeding

This morning, after we dropped Tyler off at school, Crosby kept saying something that sounded like "Yatzee" to Tyler's teacher. I thought it was totally legit, since we've been playing Mickey Mouse Yatzee the past week, until I heard something that sounded like, "duck." That's when I realized he was saying duck in Mandarin. Yia-tzi. Since we had a little bit of time before our "baby college" class, I was happy to oblige. So, off we went to the arboretum, and ducks we found! Along with some Canada Geese, and crows. And, baby geese! Can you spot the little guys?

Ducks are truly so much nicer than geese.

I say ducks are nicer, but they are just as eager to eat as geese, and even a little more daring. See that light brown one? Yeah, she managed to take that whole piece of bread from Cros. I think he dropped it because he was a little scared, and she swooped in, snagged it and ran. One geese hissed at us a bunch, which was freaky. When we were down to our very last bit, we threw it and ran, as more ducks were landing in the water that very moment! Whew!