cyclocross

my husband has joined the cyclocross series and therefore so have we (me & the littles). we have spent our sundays for the last few months cheering, "go daddy go!" as he pedals past on his single speed (or runs with his bike). we are so proud and to be honest i am kind of an intense cheerleader, which i validate by considering myself his coach :). the best part about our sundays at cyclocross is the KIDS RACE! lillian is convinced we go for her now & loves her race. she rides her strider, but i must note that she does ride her big girl bike withOUT training wheels now (she is a pretty big deal & so is biking).

Rowen is a trouper & points out every time Justin rides by.

MIA

I have definitely been missing in action from the blog world, but due to enough friendly nudges I am back ;). Here are a few snap shots to bring us up to speed:

Rowen has discovered the Lollipop & loves them

Lillian has a strider & is super fast

 Classic post nap snuggle

 Rowen picked out his first pumpkin

 Here we are at The Farm, so fun!

 Minnie Mouse

I am so delighted by my little family. Lillian loves picnics, dressing up and dates ("girl date", "Baba date", "happy family date"). She is also the best three year old mommy I have ever met, taking amazing care of her babies every waking hour of her day. She dreams about the day she will be a "big mommy with real babies". She recently asked me why her babies don't talk and I said, "maybe cause they are too little", she responded, "yeah and they aren't real." Rowen is a man of few words, but full of expression. His 5 words are: Mom, Dada, Uh-Oh, Uh-Huh, Hmm-mm (while shaking his head No). He loves music and has quite the moves, plus is one of the littlest jumpers you will ever see take two feet off the ground. Okay so I hope to get back on the bandwagon of blogging... more to come.

talk to me

When ever I say, "aha" to Lillian instead of opening my mouth to say, "Yes!" my sweet Lillian says, "mama talk to me." It just makes me smile because it sums up Lillian these days, she loves a good chat! Here are a few moments that I don't want to forget:

Every morning as we usher Justin off to work and each kiss him good bye Lillian says, 

"Bye Babe! Have a good day! You look fan- some!" 

Yes FAN-SOME, which we have come to believe means fantastically handsome.

She asked us at dinner the other night, "why can't kids have beer?" I responded with something about how you have to be older and she says, "Kind of like how you can't swallow gum? Kids can't drink beer or swallow gum, right?" She was very satisfied with her understanding and moved on.

Last night as I tucked Lillian into bed, read her book, sang her songs and then we prayed. She prayed, "dear Jesus please heal my blood owie and make it all better. Amen. Mom can we go visit Jesus sometime? Does he live really far away? Can we walk to his house or do we have to take an airplane? I think I would like to meet him sometime though. Do you think we can?"

Lillian melts my heart and has a way of loving me like no other. 

A few things that I love about her right now are: 

Her bursts of love for me that include a big hug, kiss and "i love you so much in the whole wide world mommy. you are just the cutest girl in the whole wide world. i love you so much!" 

Her song & dance, which is often spun, twirled and dressed in 3+ bathing suits/leotards. 

Her outfits are such an expression of her personality as she dresses herself and changes outfits multiple times a day. 

Her motherly instincts, which lead her to care for her babies so sweetly, nursing, swaddling, rocking and putting them to bed, "shh my baby is sleeping." She dreams about, "someday when i am a big mommy, I can hold big babies."

i love my Lillian Faye!

big happy family

Summer time was wonderful, so much that I never had a moment to blog. I felt fully immeshed and absorbed in my adorable littles & being a "big happy family!", Lillian says. Our kids are best friends and bursting with joy! It is truly a blessing to love and be so loved!

Princess Lillian all dressed up: CLASSIC

Sweet Sleeping Moment: PRECIOUS

 Ballerina in MY tutu: ADORABLE

Like Father, Like Son: HANDSOME

 Boat rides & sunshine: BABE

 2 sets of red TOMS: MATCHING

 Stanwood Fair: DAIRY GIRL

Cutest little girl in the whole wide world: FLOWER GIRL

Water + Outside + Rowen: MR. SMILES

South Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival: JULY FOURTH

 Helmets, Snacks, Bikes, Buckled, Trailer: CHECK

Swimming, Laughing, Water, JD Bike Shop, Toys, Backyard Bliss: DAILY

The first days of summer

Camano Island beach time was a family favorite this week.

Rowen is always reaching for something. He only says, "mama" and "dada" so everything else is a grunt and hand thrust in one direction. I love the boys.

Rowen pool side on the first day of summer- SUNNY!

Don't drink the water Rowen!

shout out

to the man of the house. the one we owe are laughs & bike ride bliss. the provider. the strength in which we all lean on. the handy man. the problem solver. my kids daddy. my best friend and handsome hubby.

i love my babies daddy. he has a heart of gold and a will that perseveres through anything. i have a life time of reasons to love him. happy father's day!

14 snap shots

we are soaking up these adorable moments as they each come and quickly pass us by. Justin & I often look at each other, smile and whisper our love for each other & our babes. When you weight the responsibility and challenges of being at our stage in life with two kids... thank God our two beautiful kids out weight it all. They are charming, breathe taking, lively, full of adventure and brilliant in every little person way!

the men in my life (mother's day)

our beauty queen, looked in the mirror & said, "hmm, something doesn't look right. i better wear my grammy sweater"

best friends

zoo members & living a mile away makes us frequent jaguar visitors 

cutest lil pilot

 Rowen LOVES bike rides

 Princess Lillian's Picnic Quilt (I made it)

 Rowen's favorite Yoga pose

Rock Star!

Sunny Day in Seattle: Kerry Park 

True Seattleite awing at the Space Needle

lillian FAYE & mary FAYE (my college roommate)

flower girl! we are reading books and chatting up the wedding festivities as lil is in TWO weddings this July. she is thrilled about being a flower girl & getting married someday ("to daddy & prince rowen, so i get two rings then")

typical Rowen reaching to tell me what he wants. 

my life.