Southport

This summer has been a whirlwind of activities all of which I am grateful for.  Our summer kicked off with packing, we bought a house and after a very long close, it was finally time to move!
Sometimes life throws things at you and it's only in hindsight that you see that things are unfolding just as they should.  When we moved to Gig Harbor last summer our plan had been to buy a house.  After searching the meager inventory available we decided to rent, it was not my plan and I was not excited about the idea of needing to move again in a year.  We were lucky to find a house to rent as the rental market was even tighter than the houses for sale.  As it turned out we ended up in a lovely neighborhood called Southport with it's own park, close to the bridge and full of families that we've come to love.. adults and kids alike.
This spring I put the word out that we'd love to stay in our neighborhood, one day I was chatting with Bob, a nice man who walks the neighborhood.  I told him that I'd heard they might be selling their home, no, he said, we're not... but I think my neighbors might be.  A couple of days later a woman rolled down her window at the bus stop, Bob had talked to her and as luck would have it, they were moving!  She invited me over to take a look at the house, then Brian and I went together and the rest is history.  We feel so incredibly fortunate to have found our forever home in the neighborhood that we love so much.
The upside of moving only three blocks is that you can do a lot of loads in your own car... the downside of moving only three blocks is the same thing.  Georgia thought moving was boring but Leo was Mr. Helpful.

Home Sweet Home!

Great Season Meerkats

Georgia had a great time being on the Tacoma Meerkats team, best of all was having Jody as her coach.  In lieu of our last practice we had a little celebration where Jody gave a little speech and each girl received a medal.  

Jody has seen our family through some really hard times, she was constantly sending me inspirational quotes when Georgia was in the hospital.  She made CD's of music that literally became the soundtrack of our journey, think, Rocky Theme Song and Annie's It's A Hard Knock Life.  She made videos, wrote blog posts and was always a cheerleader.  

Jody is one of the most solid people I know, she's a true friend which made her speech about Georgia so great.

Georgia's last at bat of the season, way to go, you're a ball player!

Kindergarten Grad

What a year.  A new city, a new school and a whole lot of new friends.  Georgia, you are remarkable.  You loved school this year, you loved everything about it, your teacher, learning, friends, chasing Sawyer at recess, you loved every second.
Your favorite subjects were math and science and currently your plan is to either be a scientist or a veterinarian.
I'm so proud of you and how much you enjoy school, you will go far in this life my dear, very, very far.

Look out first grade, these two are ready!

Classroom graduation party with Leo the goofball

We all made it to the party!

Silly picture, Georgia's request

The BEST Kindergarten Teacher, Mrs. B.

We thought the occasion called for a little party so we had some neighborhood friends over to celebrate!  

Cheers to summer!

Can you tell that Georgia & Olivia are excited for summer?

Honey Bee Grad

A couple of weeks ago, Georgia and I drove up to a very special place to see some very special people.  Lauren was graduating from the Children's Garden School, a place that I have known my entire life, a place where my mom taught parent education and where she is still loved deeply.
Lauren is truly a remarkable human being, you can literally hear the wheels turning in her head, always seeing things a way that adults, let alone kids, rarely see.  She is bright, artistic and inquisitive, she is also very patient.  She was the last graduate of the evening, all the while waiting with a smile and making sure the other graduates were paying attention.
The night was made more special because several of my mom's dear friends were there.  During a break, Leslie and I took the girls down to see my mom's tree, one that was planted in her memory nearly 20 years ago.  We just happened to follow Bonnie, Kathy and Marsha to the same spot.  We all gathered under the Handkerchief Tree as it's called, a small table was set up under it with flowers, a candle and a framed photo of my mom with her friends.  What a sight to see, these amazing women with her granddaughters.

 

T-Ball

Georgia has been having a great time playing t-ball!  We joined the Meerkats team this spring, her coaches are my long time friend from college, Jody and her dad, Denny.  It has been so fun to see Georgia learn so much and really get into the games.  The icing on the cake is that we get to see Jody and her daughter, Anna on a regular basis, second generation friends.  

 Don't underestimate the sweet little faces you see, these kids are, great ball players!!  I love that Anna & Georgia are next to each other, right in the center.

My little Meerkat

Beating The Heat

This weekend we saw temperatures near 90 degrees, it was HOT!  Luckily I recently purchased a slip & slide.  After hours upon hours of fun and a solid night sleep for everyone, I'd say it's the best $25 I've spent in a long time!

Here are my little exebitionists beating the heat.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day was nearly a month ago but I'm finally getting this little gem posted.  Georgia brought it home from school, her teacher helped her complete it.  She was so proud to give it to me first thing on Mother's Day morning, I couldn't love it any more if I tried.