...you say it's your birthday...

...it's my birthday too yeah...

Well, yesterday was actually my birthday, and boy was it a good one! For starters, I got to go visit my sister in Washington last weekend (I'll definitely post more about that later - TONS of pics to go through first).

Gary brought home the yummiest cake from Buehler's yesterday and we had carry-out from Boston's. (Carry-out is so much easier for us with Michael).

Deee-lish, for sure!

Then I opened up the funnest (is that a word?) present from Gary....ahem....I mean, Michael.

It's a remote control for my camera! No more setting the timer and running crazily to make it into the shot. Although, using the timer has made for some pretty funny shots! Usually of my backside: either that's all you see as I'm running into the shot:

...or I'm falling on it. I've been...what's the term? Oh yeah, "ass over tea kettle" many o times. Here's one of Keni laughing at me on the ground. In my defense, Seattle is rainy and therefore the ground is slick, especially when running and trying to go around the bend of flowers - lesson learned.Which is one of the reasons why I'm usually not IN the photos.

This is such a cool little toy!!

(I deleted all the other crazy ninja poses I did with the remote...hahaha!). Happy birthday to me. Thanks boys! You rock my world! :)

hellooooooo

I am so glad you stopped by to read what's new with us. As most of you know, around here it's all about The Boy: what he's been up to, how much he's grown, what's new in his life, does he ever NOT smile (I heard that from some of you), etc. For the most part, he IS all smiles and silliness and very cuddly and an overall cool little dude - and I take lots of pictures then because it makes my heart happy...and because I'm a tad bit obsessed when I have a camera in my hand (work it, work it...the camera loooves you dahling...smile with your eyes...oooh that's fierce...okay, maybe I've been watching too much ANTM-hahaha!!).

To all my newbie readers out there: I'd LOVE to hear from you! :)

So I have been asked by quite a few people how to leave a comment...without signing up or joining a club or handing over your first born. And I'm with ya...I usually roll my eyes and exit out of whatever it was I was reading when I find out that I have to register as a user, when all I wanted to do was say HI or NICE PIC or YOU'RE FUNNY or THAT WAS WEIRD and then go on about my day. They (whoever "they" are) do not need to know about me and my information and I don't want you to have to go through that either.

So here is how you can leave me (and G and M) a little message in an easy, non-committal kind of way:

1. At the bottom of each post, there is a link that says "comments". Click on it. Easy, right?


2. Type a comment in the box under the words "leave your comment". Leave your name in the box after your comment, so I know who you are.


3. Next, type in the miscellaneous letters you see in the word verification box. This is used to help prevent spam.


4. Then, click the button that says "anonymous". So far, so good.


5. Now you can either click on "publish your comment" button and your message will post to the blog. Or you can "preview" your comment, review/make changes, etc. and then "publish your comment".

That's it!

Easy-peasy, right?

I can't wait to hear from you, so send us some lovin'!!

And since a post isn't a post without a picture....

....the boy....watching Handy Manny before lunch Saturday afternoon.

weekend fun

On Saturday, we went to visit some dear friends that we haven't seen in such a long time. They live out in the country and we ate dinner outside by the fire (thanks for the yummy food Emily!!), enjoying some great coversation and story-telling.


Jared's rabbit ears over Michael's head turned into a peace sign when Michael turned around and caught him in the act.

We brought Arty with us and we watched him go nuts running, running, and running. So much room to run around. At times, he sounded like a horse galloping when he was running so fast! He also visited with one of their sheep...this one is Bolt.

I think it's been said before that Randy and Emily have some cool toys and it wasn't long before the boys got them out to play.

Once it got too dark and cold to ride, we chilled by the fire until the little ones were tired.

We were glad we got to stay late enough to enjoy the campfire...thanks to Michael for being so good and well-behaved this time! We can't wait to see them again - and are so thankful for having such great friends!

summer is...

Michael's "what I did on summer break" in pictures! :)

Summer is...

sleeping late (with Arty)

baseball (Miracle League - Go Tigers!)

Gary showing Michael how it's done~

Coming home to score! Michael liked giving everyone "5's" at the end of each game.

horseback riding

With his teacher, Mrs. Murdock, and her family.
Then again with Keith, on Utah.

less clothes

family and bbq's

At Rick and Suzi's, with Keni, Josh, Gabby, Brannon and Mitchell.

pool time

Splashing around no matter what he was wearing.
One of his usual tricks...drinking the pool water.

sliding

First time requesting the slide over the swing; as well as climbing the ladder almost by himself.

golf (Special Olympics)

self-feeding

beachy sand and water

Michael's "turtle tracks" in the sand...

zoo animals

Suzi and Brannon brought a clouded leopard to our house on their way home from the fair. These pics are a little blurry because Michael was just so excited and silly....and baby leopards are just as wiggly as Michael.

open cup drinking

rock pit

Playing in the rocks with cousin Gabby.

practicing school stuff

So excited to see him want to practice school stuff and that he's holding the marker correctly (instead of throwing or rolling it).

G O N E

Waiting for the bus on the first day of school. He has the same bus driver and aide as last year (Chris and Loura)...we were all excited about that.
And with that....summer is over. Sigh.

Even with all the new things Michael did over the summer, I think one of my favorite memories has been Michael learning how to sign "mom". Not only that, but he seems to understand what that sign means....which is ME. He called me mom!!! YIPPEE!! I've only been waiting 9-1/2 years to have him call me mom. Of course, he's had the "dad" sign down pat for over a year. Why is it that even in sign language kids always say dad first?!?! hahaha!!

We hope your summer was just as fun-filled as Michael's! :)