It's show time

First day of home schooling.

Went well.

YET...

Perfectly lovely elementary school two blocks from my house.

Am I crazy??

I don't think so, at least not yet.

Pictures to come, I didn't want to post them until I was done sewing us all matching denim jumpers and crocheted vests.

Death by knock knock joke

Baby poop everywhere? Lots of patience. Allowing the kids to play in dry rice and beans in the kitchen? Anytime. Wearing your superhero costumes everywhere? Sure thing.

But KNOCK KNOCK JOKES, oh how I hate thee.

These things have become a staple at every meal. At best they are silly, at worst they are disgusting, and have many shades in between. Trust me when I say, they are rarely funny. Mostly they are stupid and drive me crazy. Why do they annoy me so badly? That I don't know but here are a couple of typical ones that I endured during dinner tonight. (Oh, and they refuse to tell them to anyone other than me. How sweet.)

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Poopy tooty.
Poopy tooty who?
Poopy tooty blah blu blooty.

Knock knock.
Who's there?
(After much looking around, trying to think of something, sees our fruit bowl.) Oranges.
Oranges who?
I want to eat some oranges.

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Flip flops.
Flip flops who?
Flip flops go on your shlip shlops.

See, you're starting to go crazy too, huh?

A yuppy family and their tent trailer

This summer we became the proud owners of a second hand tent trailer. We took it on its maiden voyage the end of June to Greg's family's annual camp out and gave it two very enthusiastic thumbs up. Real beds to sleep on! Water from the faucet! (Or, there would have been, had we remembered the hook up hose.) Heat at night! Plus, there is nothing quiet as sexy as a mini van with a faded paint job hauling a tent trailer. We are going to take it out again one more time this summer. We figured that twice in the first summer was a good goal with our young family and that we'll just get more enjoyment in the years to come.

Enjoy the camping pictures. We had a wonderful time and there were several moments, as our three older kids played with cousins or zoomed past on their bikes, that Greg and I looked at each other and said, "Is this getting easier??" Of course, now that I have said this, Dane will take a flying leap off the bunk bed and break both his arms. But still, life does seem easier these days. And happy.

Danskin Triathlon 2011

Last January my dear friend Jenny, friend for life and mom of two, called me from Olympia and said, "I think you should do a sprint triathlon with me next summer."

At the time I had a six month old baby, not to mention my other three kids. I was horribly out of shape and had zero desire to do a triathlon. Except I did kind of want to. I told her I would think about it.

I asked Greg what he thought. He looked at me with great skepticism and said, "I"ll believe it when I see it." Don't pass judgement on the guy, I was thinking the same thing. Besides, I HATED TO SWIM. And when would I find the time to workout? So I didn't blame him for saying it but it did ignite a little fire in me.

Then I talked to my other dear friend Angela, also a mom of four with a six month old baby, and asked her if she'd do it. She said no. Then she said yes. Then she said she'd think about it.

My sister-in-law Julie, mom of my sweet nephew Jonny, was in from the very beginning. "Sure, I'll do it."

Eventually, each in our own way, we all committed to completing our first triathlon together in August.

My first work out was a Jillian Michael's video that left me nauseated it was so hard.

My first swim was for 12 minutes and I was exhausted.

I had to get up at 5:30 a.m. to do my workouts in the morning.

BUT THEN.....














We all did it. 1/2 mile swim, 12.4 mile bike, 5 k (3.2 miles) run. I did it in 1:35:25. We all met or exceeded our personal time goals. It was awesome and I can't wait to do another one. Good job girls, we rocked it!!

p.s. If you are just checking my blog out in a while, keep scrolling down, I posted twice in one day, Wonders never cease.

Betcha missed me

So, summer has came and is nearly gone already. We have eaten it up. My dreams of days of leisurely backyard play and popcicles haven't been as plentiful as I had hoped. Instead we have packed the time with camping trips, a week long Seaside vacation, swimming lessons, Greg and I both completing our first sprint triathlons, swimming lessons, a family photo shoot, BBQs with friends, birthdays, and enough backyard play to keep us all happy and sane. Many times this summer Nathan has told me, "THIS IS MY BEST DAY EVER!!!"

Prepare yourself for two months worth of photos. We are kinda cute.

Angela, Sara, Jenny, and Julie after completing our FIRST Danskin triathlon!

Wetsuit beauties

Greg and Justin with ALL THEIR kids after completing the Race the River triathlon

Silverwood with the Baerlocher fam . We would take up every single ride with just our families.

Dane and Gracie, two lovebirds blossoming in the Savannah

The whole Silverwood clan. Seven kids, four adults, and we actually had fun!

You think this is bad, wait until you see the faces Dane made in EVERY shot during family photos.

These are a bunch of shots from the 4th of July. We celebrated in Liberty Lake and had a great time as a family. The little kids were invited to dance during the music and Aubrey and Dane shook it until it wouldn't shake anymore!

There are still pictures from camping trips, Seaside, and maybe an entire post dedicated to the girl's triathlon, but I think this is a good start, no? You gotta give a girl a few days, and posts, to play catch up with.

You are still a baby until you learn to walk

Our sweet JoJo Beans, Johannanana, Jo, Johanninani, JuJuBe, JOHANNA, turned one yesterday. She earned herself four demerits for growing up so darn fast. And then gained them back again when she spent the entire day looking ridiculously adorable.

Short of her Aunt Hannah and Uncle Jason, Johanna's entire family on both sides was here to see her eat her first piece of cake and watch her wide eyes as everyone sang her happy birthday. She was a magnificent birthday girl, basking in the attention and rewarding everyone with crinkle nosed smiles. I am floored to think that my baby, MY BABY BABY, is one year old. She is such a beautiful little blessing and sometimes I think I might just dunk her in chocolate, spray on the whip cream, and eat her up she's so sweet. Our family wasn't complete until Princess Pampers came along. Johanna, you are loved beyond your understanding. And aren't allowed to grow a single centimeter more.










Let me tell you something Johanna. Just because you turned one doesn't mean you aren't my baby. Heck, from what I can tell you have signed yourself up to be MY baby for life. So there.

When a man loves his daughter

I don't cry over everything. But that little Aubrey girl has done me in. I have cried more than once this week about how big she is getting. And these pictures of her and her daddy prepping or the Father/Daughter dance? You get bet your butt I cried over these.










(What would actually happen if you bet your butt and lost? Would that even be a bad thing?)