The Fair!

 The fair is always fun.  I love the rides, I love the food, I love the animals...  I love it all!

The boys are no different - though they don't really love mom going on the rides with them anymore - sad.

This year Nadia met us there and that was super fun!

The did let me go on this ride - so I could spin it super fast - but then no one would go on it with me again - apparently super fast is a bit too fast.....

 Ethan ate all but a bit of this gigantic corn dog - gross!  

He's kind of looking like a corn dog himself in this picture, I think!

 We got to watch some pig races - go Strawberry!  Ethan got to be a cheer leader for our section - though he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do.  He did like getting Strawberry's ribbon though!

 Rides... rides.....

 More rides.....

 We ran into friends of Ethan's from school and he had a blast riding with them.  I think he has a bit of a crush....

 We checked out the animals - I think the cat's decorated cages were the winners...  But this just shows why I love Miss Nadia so - she wanted a picture with this guy!  And Lucas went along with it, though it made him a little nervous...

 I loved the way Lucas dressed for the fair - especially the socks.  These are the wool socks my mom knit him after she gave Ethan some for the hospital and Lucas got a little jealous...  He's wearing them on an 80 degree day and they are upside down-sideways on his feet - with the heels coming out the side of his shoes....  

It was fabulous - hot (we all got a bit sunburned) - but fabulous.  We made it 8 hours before I finally gave out.  My ankle was done and I was ready for bed.

Only one more big event this summer - and that would be a certain little boy's 4th birthday!!!  Eek!  

End of Summer Pics...

We made it to the zoo one last time before school starts again - loving those budgie buddies!

 This time Daddy got to go with us!

 Our favorite clouded leopard friends have grown - almost as much as my boys have.

 They loved sharing the show with Brian - and even pretended to love on each other - though they really were just squeezing as tightly as they could...

 Lucas still freaked out at the "bad guy" - even though he kept telling us that he ends up good in the end....

 And then he got to meet him (her) and his (her) rat...  

"But it's okay, he's good now."

 Soccer started for Ethan, and so Lucas and I decided practice would be a great time to bring the dogs out to walk....

 The dogs love it and this guy loves riding his bike on the track too...

 Ethan's doing great at soccer - not quite the same experience as basketball - he's actually in the game and being aggressive - not just standing there yelling that he's open....  

 My parents took the boys out school shopping and for lunch - which meant that I got to go eat all by myself.  Yeah for the Barnes and Noble Cafe!  It was fabulous.  Quiet and fabulous.

 Lucas gets better with the dogs every practice - and they get better at listening to him....  I think soccer practice will be good for all of us.

I can't believe we are only a week and a half away....  So much to do....  

Better make the most of it!

Education in Summer - Random Tidbits

The time, it goes so fast!  I can't believe summer is almost over.  These last couple of weeks have been crazy busy - but in a totally good way....

Last weekend, we had the Super Reader Party at the library!!!  Kids who had completed at least 10 hours of reading got to come and enjoy lots of different games and popsicles out on the library park.  

The boys also liked getting to see their friends!  

 Ever since the Olympics, Ethan has been obsessed with China.  Like totally obsessed.  He even checked out a book at the library about it...  And then he started begging us to take him to "China Food".  In our house we pretty much only go out for Italian or Mexican - so this was a big deal....
We went to a place I frequently ate take out from a lot as a kid and Ethan made sure to bring his book with him.  He made Brian read to him while we waited for his food....

 Ethan's favorite part was the rice... the white, steamed rice....  as in the only part of it that I ever cook at home....  "This rice is so good.  You should really get their recipe Mom."

 Lucas liked the chow mein - or the "noodles" which made sense, since the boy will eat noodles every night if given the chance....  He also liked the pot stickers- which was funny to me.

 After eating a teeny bite of everything and a whole lot of rice, Ethan deemed the experience a success.  "We should totally come back for more China food again Mom."

Since then, his daily journal writing has turned into a sort of report on different countries.  Each day, we'd look up a country's flag and some facts about the country and he'd write about it.  I finally decided I better get him an atlas and that thing has not left his sight since.  He is obsessed I tell you - obsessed!
My mom has started a tradition in her classroom where the kids trace their feet and then write what they know how to do on the left foot and what they want to learn on the right foot.  Ethan's last year's goals were fun to read - since he's mastered them all!

 This year Lucas got to participate - and was excited to!

 I love the way he writes his name - though I do hope it gets a bit more traditional looking before he goes to kindergarten....

 His goals were fun - though he does know all his letters already - just still mixes up V and Y - but who doesn't :)  And why he wants to sit on the bottom of the pool, I have no idea - but he does!
Ethan was an old pro....

 I couldn't believe he wanted to put multiplication.  I suggested adding big numbers, but that wasn't enough.  So, at some point before next summer ends, I'll help him with it....  We already act it out with snacks and such all the time - but I'll add the mathematic symbols.

Those poor boys - little do they know that everything we do has some sort of a learning objective to it.  I can't help it!

Aladdin, Street Dance, Aladdin

We arrived at the theater and Ethan pointed out the poster he had made for the show - I particularly liked that he wrote his name on his legs...  It was time for Aladdin to begin!  Lucas and I had been so excited all week we were almost giddy as the lights went down....

 I can't decide whether I laughed or cried more (happy tears)...  The dancing was absolutely hilarious and he was just so darned proud of himself.  He looked so small and yet was definitely not lost on stage.  You could tell he was totally high on the adrenaline of performing...  He is his Mama's boy in that!
Nadia came to see the show and Ethan was SO excited to see her.

Nadia was so proud of him, she could hardly help herself...  Which Ethan of course, loved...  (though he wouldn't tell you that)....

 We headed out afterward to Poulsbo for their annual Street Dance.  Last year, Ethan was the dancing machine....  This year - totally self-conscious.  Broke. My. Heart.  I know how much he loves to dance, so it killed me that he'd just stand there....    We finally got them up on stage and into the conga line, but it was sooo different.  I kept waiting for him to break out of his shell and start letting loose - never really happened....

 The first band was pretty awful - definitely not family oriented, but we still danced - with Ethan grabbing on to me and refusing to let go the whole time.  We intermissioned for ice cream - and that seemed to help..... or maybe it was the better music, but he loosened up a little after that.  A little.

 Lucas enjoyed playing around on the ground - and messing with the manhole covers...  And got FILTHY.

 But they definitely had fun...  The next day was Ethan's next performance and he had several friends come and see him - as well as his cousins - Cooper and Cole.

 He was so sad for it to be over....

 I think the boy has fallen in love with performing...

I don't blame him!

Taking Lucas Shopping

Why I'm Tired...

There was the drop off at acting camp....

The watering of plants at my parents...

The Wild, Wacky, and Wet Wednesday at the Naval Undersea Museum...

The trip to Trader Joe's...

The trip to Costco...

The picking up Ethan from acting camp...

The turning in of Summer Reading hours for both boys (Lucas is at 10, Ethan at 20)...

The Wall-E watching at the Library...

The swimming lessons....

The climbing wall class.....

And now-  there is bed....

Cousin Weekend

Auntie Angie, Cooper, and Cole came up for the weekend - and what a HOT weekend it was!  It should never get that hot around here - 90s are miserable when the houses are just not set up for that kind of heat!  

We spent our morning swimming and playing at the Y - I so wish we were allowed to take pictures there.  In  the afternoon the boys and I went to a fun Bieber party  for our friend Paige where Ethan admitted to me (quietly) that he does indeed enjoys the Biebs.  I promised him it'd be our little secret.  Oops.

We got to be there for Cooper's first Sweet Potatoes meal - yum!  I loved the entourage - me on pictures, both boys on video cameras and Cole "helping".

 He seemed to dig 'em.  Ate quite a bit before he started squawking.

 Sunday we headed out to the Bloedel Reserve to watch the Recess Monkeys in concert.  The grounds were gorgeous!

 And Ethan and Lucas loved sitting in front of their future house....  

 Except they said it kinda smelled funny.  I told them that's what old money smells like.

 We got to meet some of the guys from the band coming in and they were just charming.  They are all primary teachers in Seattle who have a band together.  How cool is that?!

 We snagged seats in the front - though since the kids were all invited up to the front, it didn't matter too much.  I did appreciate being right in the middle of it though - except for a couple of crazy dancers that almost ran into us...

 Lucas was pretty hesitant.  He said he liked it - but just sat there with a very concerned look.  And I had to keep taking his hands off his ears - thought it might seem a bit rude....

 Ethan and Cole didn't take too long to get up and dance.  And dance they did - much jumping around was done!

 After about 2/3 of the show, Lucas got up and stood off to the side, still watching, but a bit more happy looking....

 Cooper and Cole just kept dancin' - their favorite song was "Popcorn".

 And then all of a sudden, we look over and Lucas is totally rockin' out off to the side.  As long as we didn't make eye contact, or try to take a picture.  He's got some moves!

 After all the boys got MUCH NEEDED naps, we went to the Bug Museum to check out their new Reptile Room.  Very cool!  Lucas and Ethan still love Leopard Geckos....

 And everyone liked checking out the chameleons....  They had snakes and lizards and even some really cool teeny turtles.  I want one, but they live too long....  I probably won't still want a turtle when I'm 60...  Actually, I probably will, but Brian won't.

And then dinner at the Airport Diner - where we prayed there'd be air conditioning as it was in the high 90's outside.  And there was not AC, so we sweated all over our food as we watched several planes come and go.

All of the boys took their turns at tantrums, but it was a fabulous weekend - and not even too exhausting.  I am just so thankful that it is not as hot anymore as it was awful inside the house!
Today is back to the real world.  As in summertime real world.....  Here's wishing the month of August just crawls by!