Bridge to Brownies

Monica and her troop are now officially Brownies. Here are a few photos from tonight's Bridging Ceremony:

Congratulations Monica!

For Sale!

Anyone want to buy a house?

Here's one listing, and another version too.

Glorious Garden

Our garden has never looked so good. I'll give credit to Anton for most of the manual labor, Nick for the artistic eye, and Gordon for the donated plants. He and Jack put in a couple more today.

Finishing Touches

The Carters generously offered to help us put the finishing touches on our house and garden before it gets listed Monday. Tomorrow the carpet cleaners will seal the deal. Anton and Nick competed for the "most awesome jeans" award:

The kids enjoyed rolling down the freshly cut lawn:

All done!

How could anyone turn this down?

S'more Gardening

We spent this morning gardening at Grandma's with my parents and Uncle Buck and Auntie Tina. I learned that:

1. Horsetails are nasty weeds.

2. Compost does not smell good.

3. Six people gardening together is the way to go.

We ended with lunch, birthday gifts for my mom and Grandma, and S'mores for dessert!

School Visit

Today Monica visited her new school, Our Lady of the Lake. She spent from 1-3pm with the first grade class so she could meet her new classmates. She was very excited, but also very nervous. The girls in the class were so excited to meet her and play with her that I think it was overwhelming for Monica. However, she soon opened up and had a good time. By the end of the day she said, "It feels like I'm already in the class!" I know there are still some emotional ups and downs ahead, but I think we're off to a good start with one of the zillion transitions coming up for us.

We are still working 24-7 on the house, or at least it feels that way. We are almost done! Unfortunately, while it will be a relief to have it ready and on the market, then comes the stressful part of hoping it will sell. Perhaps if I leave some free cans of mountain dew on the counter it will entice buyers. :)

Weekend Blitz

I barely have time to breathe at the moment, as we are trying to get our house on the market a week from today. Here's a quick update of the progress made this weekend. A huge thank-you to the whole Martin family who pitched in and helped on Sunday.

The kids had time for some swimming / skinny-dipping:

And we all took time in the evening to celebrate Anton's and Mom K's birthdays.

Crucial Levels

I am enjoying collecting boxes. Every day after school I park the minivan in front of the Burien liquor store (usually two kids in Catholic school uniforms seated inside) and pick up some more. I'm sure it's quite humorous to see a noticeably pregnant lady picking up carts full of boxes labeled Black Velvet, Wild Turkey, and Jose Cuervo. The stack you see in this picture are all empty (this stack is higher than the stack of packed boxes). I guess this means I should actually start packing these now.

Sort it Out

Jack loves to sort. He especially enjoys opening random board games, finding anything match-able and sorting it. Here he is sorting a deck of playing cards. Future blackjack dealer?

And so it begins...

We are getting our house ready to put on the market, as we are moving (somewhere) this summer. Here is phase one of boxes. As we used to say on camp staff, "Prepare for the onslaught..."

Mowin' with Dad

Jack followed Anton around the yard for over an hour yesterday. It was seriously adorable. He would even mimic Anton if he stopped to clear grass chunks from the wheels or something. When they came inside for lunch, Jack said, "That was a fun morning, wasn't it Dad?"

May Pregnancy Update

Monica snapped this photo of me Friday. (Isn't she a good little photographer?) For those of you who want to see a belly picture, this is as close as you're going to get! I keep knocking on wood because, except for first trimester nausea, this pregnancy has been the easiest so far. Yes it's somewhat awkward and uncomfortable in general, but my hips and back have been pain-free so far. I've even managed to walk hills or stairs a few times for a "work-out." Several of my students have been a little slow to catch on and will suddenly get a surprised look and exclaim "Mrs. Kramer, you're pregnant?" To which I reply, "No, actually, I just carry around an extra 15 pounds for fun!" I enjoy their look of horror.

Anyway, our little guy moves and kicks frequently. Everything at the doctor has been textbook perfect so far, and we couldn't ask for more!

Supermom by Monica Kramer

"The most special gift I could give my mom would be... Mountain Dew!"

I bet I'm the only Mom in Monica's class to get that gift!

Grandparents Day 2010

All four grandparents made it to Monica's school last Friday for Grandparents Day. Grandpa Mike didn't stay long enough for the photo because, as he always says, "You know some of us have to work for a living!" :)

Monica was thrilled to have her grandparents visit her at school.

Pre-Mother's Day

Today I snuck over to Jack's preschool for their Mother's Day celebration. I got a few pictures of him with his classmates in the gym and in the classroom.

Chocolate and Sunglasses

Here's what we did at Buck and Tina's last Sunday:

I think that pretty much sums the day up!

Assume the Position

Here's Kyle and Tyler asleep on our bed sometime around midnight last weekend.

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Dinner Dance

Saturday night Anton and Monica attended a German festival with Anton's parents, Nana, plus Greg, Mia, and Anja who were up from Oregon. (Due to the late hour, Jack and I stayed behind.) The evening started with Anja doing Monica's hair and ended with the girls dancing with their Nanie.

Geography?

Yesterday in the car...
Kyle: Monica, have you ever ridden the Max?
Monica: Mom, have I ever ridden the Max?
Me: No but you've ridden the lightrail which is similar. The Max is in Portland.
Monica: Where is Portland?
Me: In Oregon.
Kyle: It's in another CONTINENT!
Me: You mean another state.
Kyle: Yeah, right. Another STATE!
Later...
Monica: Why do people speak different languages?
Me: Because people come from other places where different languages are spoken.
Kyle: There's a different language for every STATE!
Me: You mean country? (I know, not exactly, but close enough.)
Kyle: Yeah, right. Every COUNTRY!