Six Years

Time to celebrate. Oh and there will be a celebration. Just you wait. Tomorrow is Dave's dissertation prospectus defense. After that it all comes out. The carpets will get cleaned, the paper piles will be sorted and our anniversary will be celebrated. This is the deadline he's been working all summer for. A very big hoop to jump through.

You can do it Dave...

Happy Anniversary to us...

And I'm not ready to talk about next week's deadline yet.

Day at the Lake

We had Dave all to ourselves this weekend. I love when he says yes to questions like "Grand Haven?" at the start of a day.

This was right before sweet Noah let go of the string and I entered myself into the 100 meter sprint to catch that kite. Luckily (?) the handle got stuck on a sunbather which slowed it down.

Dear David,

It's been four days since I kissed you goodbye at the Detroit Metro. Four days since Noah and Gage watched your plane head off for California. Did you remember to bring your sunglasses this time?

We've stayed busy with a few playdates and our usual trips to the library and the park. We haven't hit the pool or the lake yet, its been rainy. Maybe tomorrow.

We went blueberry picking today at Nan's. Two bucket fulls. We'll save you some.

Gage was in the backpack and as long as I stayed close to the bush with my knees bent a bit he was happy gobbling berries. I should have handed him a bucket.

Noah picked and picked. Then he found a happy dirt hill and I didn't see him for awhile.


Good luck with your presentation tomorrow. Everyone will be impressed with your brilliant empirical research and your charm. Remember to smile nicely at the people from Oregon, they might be on the hiring committee. And when you see the people from that one state with the really long winters, please remember to slouch a little bit and maybe slur your speech too.

I'm tired and off to bed to cuddle with my pillow.

I love you,
Jessie

WA

Its so nice to be around people who love your kids. Traveling is hard on these little ones. They get cranky. Tired cranky, airplane cranky, hungry cranky. So my heart swells when these sisters of mine love em up anyway.


We spent a whole week in Washington at my parent's house letting these babes get loved up. Grandma and Grandpa eating macaroni and cheese for lunch and checking adventures off their list. We covered it all: Howard Amon Park, the wading pool, Art festival, canoeing on the river, the Playground of Dreams, snow cones, the children's museum, the library, splash pads, not to mention the endless fun to be found in that crannie and this nook at the house.


At the end of the week I wasn't ready. I could have stayed all summer. At least let me take some of it with me. Stumpy the elephant? He could find a great hiding place in our basement. Kate and her play dough snack shop? Noah would sit at the table for the rest of his life. How about just Dana's lap? Gage would sit there with a big fat smile for the rest of his.


To spend so much time with my mom was wonderful. To see Noah and Gage lovin their Grandpa was wonderful. Talking to my Grandma and Grandpa Brown getting a glimpse of my aunts and uncles was wonderful. And someday I will tell you the story of my frappucinno lovin sister and our crazy night out in Finley. Maybe on her birthday...

Cousins, cousins, and more cousins

1. Gage
2. Jake
3. Emma
4. James
5. Grace
6. Taylor
7. Katie
8. Spencer
9. Lincoln
10. Jamison
11. Laura
12. Parker
13. Whitney
14. Natalie
15. Ashlyn
16. Claire
17. Courtlyn
18. Tessa
19. Sarah
20. Noah
21. Sam
22. Benjamin
23. Rachel

Big Family Trip up Spanish Fork canyon in Utah 2 weeks ago. Grandparents and 6 families all under the same roof. Can you believe it? What a blast. And what great memories....

the canoe on the pond
the paddle boat
the horses
the fishing pond
the sand pit
the testimony meeting
friendship bracelets
face paint
Taylor's movies
great conversations
a trip to the urgent care
airsoft
kickball
watersponge fight
the trampoline
SCRABBLE
the toy room
great food
astronaut rides
tickle fights
TOO many desserts

What would you add to the list?

We sure missed Ali and wished she could have been there! Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for putting this together! We miss all of you already!

My Birthday

I'm still trying to burn the mental image of my birthday into my mind. I have a picture in my head of Noah flying his kite by the pond at Music in the Park. There was no one else around him, just the boy and his kite. Of course my camera battery died. Does anyone know how to save these mental pictures for good? I'm trying to file it next to Noah running down the hall Christmas morning and the expression on Gage's face the very first time I saw him. I'm afraid I won't be able to remember where I put it.

My boys made this a wonderful birthday. Breakfast in bed, too much time with the birkenstock salesman drooling over these, a picnic in the park with dinner from one of my favorite spots, a concert next to the water, and sweet notes from family and friends. Thank you. Thank you.

Baby's 1st Birthday

Cousin Natalie was born the day before Gage. They were due 2 months apart. She was 6 weeks early, he was 2 weeks late. We celebrated together in Utah with the entire fam.
We took him to Gateway Discovery. He loved it. We fed him chocolate cake. He loved it. When we got home we gave him birthday presents. And Noah loved it.

Happy Birthday baby Gage. We love you.