++Tulips and Trucks++

 Did I mention before that I'm taking round two of my photo class?  I'll blame my lack of timely blogging updates with spending any free computer time working on stuff for that class.  The good news?  I've been taking lots of photos so there's lots to share as I get around to posting it. 

Spring was VERY late to arrive this year.  I still don't know what's normal but according to the news, this is not normal.  I just think they keep telling us lies like this so we don't leave en masse.  Anyway, one of the great harbingers of spring is the Skagit Valley tulip festival.  I guess these fields do a large part of supplying tulips all over the country.  Who knew?  They were sure pretty to look at!  All those colored stripes.  Even the kids had fun.

 I kept telling them to smell the flowers even though tulips don't smell like much.  It kept them engaged enough to snap some photos.

 Wyatt brought his binoculars. 

 This was pretty much the highlight for Claire.  I honestly used to wonder who would ever wear rubber boots enough to justify owning them...then we moved here.

 So cool.

 I think the signs probably said not to touch the flowers.  She can't read and I was too busy taking pictures so hopefully they'll cut us some slack.

 Love this kid. 

 This one is a keeper too.

 My web research before we left tipped me off to a once-a-year open house at the nearby PACCAR test facilitiy.  For those of you who aren't up on your large trucks, PACCAR manufactures all sorts of trucks, including Peterbilt and some others.  For those of you who aren't up on your 4-year-old boys, large trucks that you can see and touch=heaven. 

 Think we would make a good long-haul trucking team?  To be honest, I think this may have been the first time I was ever in a semi cab.  Remember my previous post about raising boys?  See all the fabulous new life experiences I'm gaining?

++Artist Trading Cards++

I was tipped off to a super-fun kids activity from a blog I read. Kids are supposed to create little trading cards of their art and mail them off to a group of other kids from around the country.  In return, Wyatt received all of their cards in the mail too.  I guess this is a well-known thing and they even sell little pre-cut cards at craft stores. 
Here are Wyatt's masterpieces.

 His mediums were Cray-Pas, glitter and googly eyes. 

Don't you love that his monsters and robots have hearts?

 This whole thing was so up my alley.  He had lots of fun too.  Oh--and did I mention that one of the artists was from New Zealand?  I was annoyed we had to make a trip to the post office to mail hers UNTIL we received our card from her and on the envelope was a fabulous Kate and Will stamp.  If I wasn't lazy I would photograph it for you (YES I kept it!)

++Life these days++

This is what it looks like when you need to fix the toilet and you have a two and four-year-old in the house. 

No joke, this was the highlight of Wyatt's day.  He couldn't wait for Mark to get home to tell him they had a project to tackle.  He is always begging to take the lid off so he can see the "motor".  This kid is totally mechanically minded.  I have NO idea where it came from.  I'm so glad God makes all kinds.  It's going to be great to have him in our house.

Also...I had to look at this a few times.  I don't think Claire's mouth is on the toilet.  Please tell me her mouth wasn't on the toilet.  Maybe it's better not to photograph these things so details like that go unnoticed.  Well, maybe if I wasn't trying to photograph these things I might notice my daughter's mouth on the toilet in the first place.  I can't win.

++Meet Murphy++

**Note--if things go as planned I will overload you with posts over the next few days.  I am so behind.  If things go as they usually do, I won't get to it.  We'll see!**

I'd like to introduce you to a visitor we've had in our house a few times this year: the class dog, Murphy. 

 It's amazing.  You take a little stuffed dog, give him a name and a collar and send him home with the kids one by one and they go nuts.  You can always tell which kid got Murphy for the night because he/she literally runs out of class beaming.  Murphy gets the royal treatment at our house.  Wyatt made sure he had dinner.

 And even played a little soccer with him. 

I think we could all gain a little perspective from the joy our kids get from something as simple as the honor of caring for the class "pet" for the night. 

++Cruisin'++

As I alluded to in my previous post, we spent the first week of April at sea.  I could probably share lots of tips and tricks we learned about cruising with wee ones but that isn't so interesting...but we Pacynas are all about learning.  So, here are a few things we learned on our trip (ok...some of which we already knew but bear with me, I have lots of photos and I'm trying to keep it interesting).

1. Bompa is a good muse while waiting for your meal (something that happens quite a bit on a ship). 

 2. Who needs full size pools?  Your kids can be entertained for hours in a pool the size of a hot tub. 

3. Cora is cute (oh wait, we already knew that).  We also learned that she is a daredevil.  More on that later.

 4. The cruise ship seems much bigger when you are on it.  This is Mark and Claire on the beach in Cabo.  The last time we were on that same beach, Wyatt was a wee embryo. 

5. Cora is cute (did we already cover this?) 

 6. Who needs a pool of deep water?  Six inches is perfectly substantial for a couple of hours of fun (in case you are confused, while we were in port we visited the resorts in Cabo and Puerto Vallerta where my parents own a timeshare week.  The kids liked the pools. 

 7. Towel animals have universal appeal.  The kids were thrilled nightly.  Then Claire and Cora quickly destroyed them much to the boys dismay.  Also for the record, we had two adjoining rooms--we aren't crazy enough to all share the same room.  Nana and Bompa were down the hall.  They weren't crazy enough to be any closer.

8. Even as a cardholding member of the AARP, my mom was able to quite gracefully disembark from our glass bottom boat.  If you need a visual, he never really stopped the boat, we were just supposed to hop off when a wave brought it close to shore.  You go girl! 

 9. Whales are big.  This momma and her babies were spotted super close into shore in Cabo.  So fun.

 10.  Despite the fact that we had just witnessed the best whale-watching in years (according to our boat driver who wasn't at all looking for tips), Wyatt was far more impressed by the site of a Coast Guard boat in the harbor.  He insisted I take multiple photos of it. 

 11. Claire rocks her goggles.

 12.  A deep windowsill is the coolest thing in the world for kids.  There is a lot to see from a ship. 

13. Fake snakes make for happy boys.  This is along the waterfront in Puerto Vallerta.  The last time I was here I was a senior in high school.  Crazy.

 14. Cora and Wyatt should have been siblings.  Cora insisted on sitting next to Wyatt at every meal, and somehow I always end up with great shots of the two of them. 

 15. Squirt guns make for happy boys.

 16. Cora is a daredevil.  She fearlessly went down this slide into deep water multiple times (she's wearing her sweatshirt because her arms were sunburned).

 17. Cruising is hard work. 

There you have it!  We had lots of fun.  The kids have some great memories.  They've now been out of the country for the first time.  And best of all--no one barfed!

++Ten on Tuesday++

1. Sorry for the hiatus.  We went on vacation again.  I don't like to talk about it before we go.  It makes my relatives who read this blog religiously but are still skeptical about blogs, nervous.  We went on a cruise--lots to share!

2.  I'll get around to posting those photos soon.  I'm still having problems resizing my photos to put on here.  It's slowing things down again.  Maybe I need a new version of photoshop, or a new computer--heck, why not throw in a new camera while I'm at it. 

3. I just said goodbye to my book club ladies.  I hosted them in my living room tonight.  We've almost lived in this house two years and that is the first event I have hosted in my living room.  It was fun.  Too bad it wasn't my knitting ladies though.  I miss them :(

4.  For the record we have read "The Glass Castle" and "Sarah's Key".  I liked them both.  Now onto "Love In The Time of Cholera".

5. I'm taking my second photo class right now.  Just so you don't think I 'm a total idiot, even my teacher can't figure out what's going on with resizing my pictures. 

6. I bet this blog isn't nearly as much fun without pictures.

7. Mark started working from home this week.  We're two days in.  I think we underestimated our kids.  They are handling the transition way better than we thought.  I guess there was one time today when we were packing up to leave and I was in the kitchen and overheard them both on the floor trying to look UNDER the door while knocking...while Mark was on a conference call.  I think we are going to like it.  He ends up being around more since we have eliminated over an hour of commuting each day. 

8. I made these amazing meatballs for dinner last week.  Make them.  You won't regret it.  Yum.

9. It is trying to be spring here in Washington but we just can't get out of the 50s.  We have seen the sun a little more often recently so things are looking up.  The one bad part about having sun after months and months of gloom: all the the cobwebs and fingerprints and dust bunnies seem to come out of the woodwork.

10. Please say a prayer for my dear friend Nicole and her family.  Last week she lost her three-month-old nephew, Jackson, to SIDs.  So sad.  Hug your kiddos extra tight.

++Why I love having a girl++

Bubbles and bows.  Need I say more?