Can we keep him?

Working in the Garden

Every year, I try starting seeds for my garden, and every year, I fail miserably at it.  But, ever the optimist, I tried starting a few seeds this weekend.

Parker helped by dumping out all the old dirt and pouring several buckets of water over it.  His mouth was filled with dirt by the end from signing "more water" over and over.

Baking with Daddy

Parker helped Keith make scones for breakfast Saturday morning.

Somehow, Parker & Keith managed to bake with out getting flour all over everything, which is something Parker & Mama have not yet been able to do.

Messy Play

Shopping for Baby Sister

I realized the other day that I haven't yet bought any clothes for our little girl.  This is partially because I'm cheap, but also because I'm not that great at shopping-ahead.  I only buy clothes for Parker in the next size, even though I probably could buy him 5T clothes and hold onto them, I just can't think that far in advance, and who knows what the kids will be wearing by then?

But, I saw that the consignment shop in Woodinville was having their $1.97 sale, and we had to go to Woodinville anyway, so Parker & I checked it out.

Speaking as someone who often finds Value Village "too expensive", spending $1.97 for a kid's t-shirt seemed like a lot, but I did find a few basics and some cute dresses for our little girl.

I'm still not convinced that $2 is a fantastic deal, but apparently I'm in the minority on this, the lady behind me in line was buying a pair of shoes for $25.  Seriously!?!  $25 for a pair of USED kid's shoes?  And I feel ripped-off because I had to pay separately for the hat that came with this dress!

But, at least our little girl won't be naked...well, she might be, but only by choice, not necessity.

Parker's first "mural"

Parker is finally discovering how crayons work, just not necessarily in the correct context.

While, I was not especially thrilled to find this (rather prolific) masterpiece, I have to admit it's probably my own fault. 

This is what I get for leaving him unsupervised in the basement (just so I could brush my teeth in peace).

And, a few completely unrelated photos, just because it's sunny out!

I am SUPER excited to have my first batch of diapers out on the clothes line...I just have to remember to take them down before it starts raining tomorrow.

And a belly shot of baby sister, at 25 weeks:

I don't know if it's the sunshine or if baby sister is finally taking pity on her Mama, but I think I'm finally starting to feel better.  As my Mom would say, "Praise the Lord, Hallelujah!"

Whidby Island Trip

Keith's sister & her husband are contemplating buying property on Whidby Island for an (eventual) vacation home.

Seeing how we'll never have a vacation home of our own, we are doing everything we can to encourage them in this scheme.  This weekend, that involved giving Keith's "expert" opinion on a property they are interested in.

Keith's (finally) nearing the end of his crazy-busy work schedule, so we thought we'd celebrate by skipping church and making a day of it.

Parker was out cold before we got on the ferry (that's what happens when you wake up two hours early, little guy).

  

He woke up just as we were docking.

We got to the island around 11 and found a great playground with an awesome play structure that Parker loved.

I have vague memories of coming here when I was a kid, but it wasn't nearly this nice at the time.

Here he's waving at an airplane.  We're teaching him to  wave at all airplanes (whatever their type or size) and say, "Hi Jeremy!".  We've got to be right some of the time, right?

After playing, we headed into Langley for lunch.  From first appearances, this town hasn't changed much since I was a kid (except for the sad, sad closing of the ice cream shop), but if you look closer, most of the old restaurants have been replaced by amazing bistros making locally-sourced, excellent food.  We had a great meal. 

After lunch, we met-up with the whole family to check out the property and run around for a bit.  Parker had a great time chasing his cousins, and I think he was only tackled a few times.

By the time we'd made the essential stop at Dairy Queen and loaded onto the ferry, our little guy was exhausted.  He spent the whole ferry trip with his head resting on Daddy's shoulder.

What a fun day!  These are the days that make the past 4-5 months of drizzle worth it!

Finally, a little sunshine!

What a beautiful weekend!

I came home from a baby shower Saturday afternoon and Parker was helping his Daddy make dinner on the grill.