For you, mom...

It might be too hard to see, but Kyle and I planted some summer color out in front this year. This is the view from our kitchen window. I was really happy with the paperbark maple that we planted along with the rose of sharon and the other things, but nothing had that summer color. So, we went to our trusty nursery - Bloomers - and asked what would be good. We decided on some coreopsis, hummingbird mint, loebella, and some lupine - which we happened to get a white, a purple, and a pink without even trying. These additions make me smile whenever I am doing dishes - which is a lot these days because our dishwasher is out of service for now!

Strawberry picking...

Molly not really into picture taking

Jack after strawberry picking. He thought it was a good idea to squeeze the strawberries as he was eating them this year!

The kids goofing around while picture taking

Molly posing ready with scissors before we started to pick

We went strawberry picking on Monday. They are beautiful this year, but they are not very sweet. They will still be wonderful in pies this winter when we are craving some good berries during the gray of winter in Oregon. The kids had fun, but I had to limit them to eating only 7 berries while there. We had the whole discussion that if they eat all they want they are really stealing the berries because we do in fact have to buy the ones we pick - they are not free!

Now we are ready for our blueberries to ripen and pick them!

Gone are the two front teeth...

I have been waiting for the this time - when Jack would be toothless. He lost his first top front tooth on the last day of first grade - what a memory! The other one was immediately loose, but it has taken some time to come out. I pestered him about it - to the point that he would ask me (politely) to leave him alone about it. Well the other day it was hanging by a thread and I knew that the other tooth had broken through and was ready for the space, so I told him I was going to pull it out! Sure enough - out it came and there was the other tooth. Now he looks a little bit like a vampire because his other two teeth are little and quiet pointy. I told him I was going to call him "vampire man" and he told me I couldn't do that. I need to call him toothless!

Ahh the beloved first grade teacher....

Mrs. Ricken was Jack's teacher this past year. Although she was out for a good chunk of the year because she had a baby, Jack loved her so very much. At the end of the year, Jack told Molly one day in the car that he wished she was his teacher forever. We can only pray that this attitude lasts for many years about his future teachers! Jack had a great year. He learned alot and improved a lot in reading and writing. He played soccer almost every day at recess. He is bored already this summer. He would love to be in school year round. He enjoys the social aspect of school so much. Kyle and I are grateful for this, and hope it continues for a little while longer!

Molly's "graduation" ...

Molly "graduated" from Kindergarten this past week. She was so very excited about it. She kept asking Jack when he was going to graduate. It was difficult to explain to her why she was graduating yet not all the other grades were! Sunday in church, Kyle recognized the college and high school graduates. Molly, promptly after the service, told me that "Daddy should have listed me on the graduation sheet of paper because I graduated from Kindergarten!" (too cute!) The graduation was almost an hour long, and it included many Bible verses and songs (the Southern states and capitals). I was in charge of making the class graduation cupcakes that looked like a real mortarboard complete with tassel. Those were outside my box but they were successfully made and enjoyed by the kids. Molly did say that her favorite part of being in Kindergarten was being special person for the week!

Hopefully when Molly finishes her second year of public school Kindergarten next year, she will not be too disappointed when there is no graduation ceremony to attend!

Jack's award ...

Jack received the Perseverance award last week. He was excited to get it and surprised. We were not to tell him before the ceremony. He had received the Kindness award early this year, so between the two he thought he was pretty hot stuff. So while Kyle and I were proud of him for the awards, we did have to have a little talk about being prideful about such things! Oh accolades for children ... on one hand they build self-esteem but on the other hand they do build the self-esteem sometimes a bit too much! We talked about remembering Who gave us the ability to persevere and why we are kind to others - heres to life lessons!

Our frontyard with updates ...

Happy flowers ...

A Eugene Experience...

Okay, so I realize that it has been quite a while since my last post. There has been a lot to write about but so many different reasons why it hasn't happened. I will try and capture some of what has happened another day, but I just had to write about this today ...

Molly was at her last day of kindergarten this morning. Originally, she wanted me to stay with her all morning. I was there, with Jack because he had the day off of school due to grading, and was just standing around. I leaned over and told Molly that Jack and I were going to leave and would be back at the end of the morning. She was not happy - for a second - and then was off and playing!

Jack and I were off to run a few errands. I have had a big pile of recycling that I need to take to get our deposit back - yes, we get and pay deposits here for bottles, cans, and such! I went to a new place and was so excited because they got new machines. The new machines are an all in one sort of thing. The one machine takes the glass bottles, the plastic bottles, AND the cans - no more multiple machines!! Jack and I were grooving along. When we finished with our stuff, we had collect 100 items for a whole $5 - can you believe it (said with sarcasm!) I walked around the wall to recycle the paper bag that we had brought our stuff in, and what do I see ... 3 paper bags full of empty clean beer bottles. I was a bit confused - why would someone not recycle these to get their money. I told Jack that I was going to try one in the machine - thinking that maybe for some odd reason the machine did not want that particular beer brand. What do you know ... it took it and promptly crushed it and I was credited my 5 cents! Jack and I proceeded to do all 3 bags (75 bottles later) for a whooping $3.75 more - which is totally free since I did not pay for the deposit when the beer was bought mind you!!

Now, I smile when I think about the money I made for two reasons ...

1. it was free money

2. it was a totally eugeneian thing to do - boy, have I come a long way in 5 years!

Now, I want you all to know that I did for a couple of minutes think about not taking the money from the bottles. I did think about letting a homeless person find them and make the money that I did today. Obviously, I came to feel justified in doing it. What does that say about me as a person?