Thursday, May 24, 2012

Springtime in Bellingham



Happy Spring.


I'm paused here with a cup of tea, sifting through the pictures of the last couple of months. Its nap time, which means I can just get a few thoughts down before 2 "hatchlings" tumble out of their sleepy nests and climb into my lap, their bodies still warm and sleepy from their afternoon slumber. (Oh...I love that moment.) 


They'll take a few quiet moments of interest in my pictures, and then they are going to insist that they move on.  That I move on.  Or move over. (Jonas is the master of online sports games. Hockey, golf, baseball...you name it.) Or they will want me to listen to their songs and stories  (Jember will want to sing something for me and she will probably hand out tickets. Seriously. ) Jonas may want me to pitch him a few balls in the front yard. Or perhaps I will be requested for a bike ride. (Which we are working on...with a "scoot" and/or with training wheels.) Letters will be drawn on chalkboards, chalk drawings will be created on our sidewalks and little imps will be trying to tickle me when I am not looking, screaming in delight when I shriek after someone has placed icy fingers under my shirt or on my bare toes. 


Or they will catch the sound of nearby neighborhood kids playing and in a great whoosh, will be out the door,  running with friends in sprinklers, racing on tricycles, and exploring the tent that has recently been assembled in the back yard. 


And then I experience that new feeling. The oddness of my children zooming outside to play with friends, leaving me here to do the oddest of things: like talk to my husband, or read a book, or to sit (yes sit) for minutes at a time with the strange, strange sound of quiet. 


Wierd.


So...Spring.


I always think of Spring as starting with Easter and sort of mucking its way along (through heavy dark days and startling bursts of sunshine.) Its not like: 


 "Hey look at the bunnies and chickies and the whole world is coming alive" kind of a thing.


No. Pacific Northwest springs are like: 


"Hey. I saw a slug today. Spring must be returning."
or
"Hey, weird. I saw the sun last Wednesday. Crazy.  Spring must be here."
or
"The moss is turning lighter. The mold is spreading. Groovy. Spring must be here..."


(Ok. Ok. And the fact that everything is green. That insane amounts of flowers are blooming and the cottonwoods are filling the air with sweet scents and my high school students are staring at each other with that giddy look that tells me to wear a raincoat when I walk through the hallways. Seriously.) 


We're wrapping up a school year. (Thank God.) The kids spend their weeks in preschool and hanging out with the amazing Maria - nanny and friend extraordinaire. Maria is an adventurer taking the kids to parks, on bike rides, fishing, and out to lunches. With Maria they create art, bake cookies and are learning to love letters. We love Maria! 


Maria and the kids hangin out on Bellingham Bay.



Spring has sprung. And we are having all kinds of fun. Check it out:




Riding Bikes and Trikes

Riding bikes on the boardwalk with Maria. Great thing to do in the sunshine!

Easter


Spent in Seattle with Uncle Jim, Aunt Linda, Grammy Myrna and Grandpa Robert. Grammy bought us matching Easter outfits this year and we are looking SO fine!




Early morning hunt for bunny tracks. He's a sneaky critter, that Easter Bunny.

Rockin' Car Rides

Air guitar in the car. And this kid knows how to rock it!

Air cello, I think. Look out Partridge Family. We are SO much cooler!


Just Us...

Returning from a birthday party. We stop to pose for pics. And yes, we are so very silly.

Jonas takes his turn at photographer. Not bad!

Baseball

Jonas LOVES sports. Baseball is #1 right now. And there ain't NOTHIN better then a game with daddy. And yes, those pizza boxes are bases. And yes...there are only 2 bases. Cuz...thats how we roll at Camp Chaney.



My baseball star

Running to pizza...er - base. 

Playing outfield. Sort of. 


Performing

Original dance performance #402. She is constantly singing and dancing. I love every performance. 

Moments after this she grabbed Ross's guitar and pretended that it was a cello. She delivered quite the concert!



Hula girls. Maria and Jember take a break from hula hooping. 

Fishing

They LOVE fishing.  Maria took them fishing (with her boyfriend Mark) and they had the time of their lives. 


Very first fish to be caught. Trout.  (Jonas's fish was HUGE!) **We made fish taco's that night. 


Yep. Thats a pink princess fishing rod.

Proud fisher boy.

The "Chefs" celebrate Daddy's birthday

WIth the help of Maria, they made these 2 cakes...and put the candles on...and the 7 inches of sprinkles and frosting...they were SO proud! 


 Yep. We love spring. And the ONLY thing that can top this giddy springtime feel-good feeling is the thought of SUMMER!!!!!!!!

And its coming. And these 2 burned out school teachers and our silly fun kids couldn't be more ready!

Hopefully we'll see you round the hood this summer! Come on by. We'll have your favorite beverages chilling, the hammock up and swinging, firewood just waiting for bonfires, and the grill always at the ready. Bring it SUMMER!!