Fort Ebey

Happy Birthday Patty!

June 5th was Patty's birthday. We had just visited her and the girls in Wyoming. So Zoie made a birthday poster for her and even wrote Happy Birthday on the top by copying my writing.

Dinner Time with Vance

As I was putting the pizza in the oven, Vance found the ice cream in the freezer (it is easily accessible by kids because it is on the bottom of the fridge). He got the ice cream scoop and a very small bowl. He was ready! He gladly exchanged the mini bowl for a normal bowl and spoon. The ice cream was his appepitizer. It is in the dairy group -- so that is good. Then he shared my pizza. He is such a picky eater that I did not stop him from taking a part my pizza. That's a good main course, with cheese and meat and tomatoes. And the bread/cereal group was a precursor to everyone's dinner. Zoie and Vance love Apple Jacks. But they need to eat them out of measuring cups that they get from the lazy susan. While Vance and I ate in the kitchen, Zoie enjoyed watching the 1985 edition of the Care Bear movie on demand, again for the 5th time this week.

At Home

A few pictures from around the house. Ty bought a new BBQ on Saturday and a little pool with slide for the kids. Despite the cool weather, Zoie played in it and wanted in on Sunday when it was a balmy 57 degrees. For a great laugh, watch the short video of Vance playing the Wii at the bottom of the entry.

Wyoming, part 2

We got to Casper late Saturday afternoon/early evening. On Sunday, we took the kids outside and the played all day in the sunshine and wind. We went to a friend's house for a BBQ and they had a sandbox in a big tire and a swingset with a glidder. Vance was in heaven, until the sun started to go down and it got so cold that we needed to go into the shop and ride bikes.





Do you think he wants to get off the glidder?

Zoie is riding a bike on the left and Vance is on a big wheel.

Jessica graduates!

I packed up the kids and my mom and we drove to Casper WY over Memorial Day weekend. The kids were great despite the long car rides.





Zoie and John at the graduation cermony.

Zoie waves her program as the graduates enter the event center.

The happy graduate with a full ride to Uni. of Wy!

Patty has a camera similar to mine. She thought she took these with her camera.

Meghan and Zoie. So happy together, again!

How do little boys go pee?

Part of Zoie's nighttime routine is going to the bathroom after we brush our teeth. She is already in bed and Ty was reading her a story. I was in the bathroom, doing whatever and Vance pushs the potty seat that he only stands on to brush his teeth and wash his hands, over to the toilet, climbs up and sits there like he has to go pee. I ask "Do you have to go pee?" No respondance, just a binkie switch. He looks in the toilet & hops down. I am confused now. I ask again, take off his diaper, and put him up on the seat again. He doesn't really like it. So I ask again, nothing from Vance. So I put the diaper on him. But he climbs up again. So I take off the diaper and the pajama bottoms and he climbs up there with 2 binkies. I walk down the hall to get Ty. "Can you come show Vance how to pee?" I say. He just laughs. "Why?" "Well, he is acting like he needs to pee, but he just keeps climbing up and down. He rolls out of Zoie's bed as the while laughing at me. We walk down the hall to find Vance peed right on the potty seat and the floor. I was shocked! I was only gone about 30 seconds. Maybe he had stage fright with mom hangin' around,asking stupid questions like "do you have to pee?" I wonder how often this will happen now . . Guess I will need to start watching the clock and putting him on the toilet. What a big boy! Maybe I won't have to threaten to send him to kindergarten with a diaper, like my mom did with Paul along with other moms with little boys.

The end of Teeball

A few pictures from Zoie's first season of teeball. She played first base and rotated turns with the other kids.




Good stop by papa. Notice Zoie's fan club in the background :) There is nana, Aunt Dutchie, & Ty (Vance must be running around somewhere), and Amy & David were on the other side of the field cheering her on while she was playing in the field. They are #1 fans!

Thristy flowers

Since it had not rained for a few days, we needed to water our thristy flowers and strawberries. No garden planted yet, so no seeds to water.




I know how to turn the water on but not off. Notice big sister Zoie's arm on the left. She had just showed him how to help fill up the watering can.

Big Hitter Pictures

Here's the official Zoie tee ball pictures. In the team picture, the kids in the front row did not want to kneel down in the cold, snoggy grass so all of them stood up.

A few Vance smiles

Pulling with the Blanket

Vance has 3 favorite things -- binkie, Barney blanket, and a green puppy. Around the "new" house (aka living room), Zoie was the leader with a corner of the blanket and Vance followed with another corner . They ran for atleast 15 minutes, screaming, laughing, and crying when Vance would let go of his corner.

I think they we were going so fast that she whipped around the corner and he wiped out.