Mother's Day Festivities

Me, my mom and Dave's mom had so much fun at Coop's Mother's Day Tea party last Friday. The tables were set so fancy, and we even drank actual tea from china tea cups! The preschoolers performed a few songs and gave their mommies some gifts they'd made us. I will be sure to hang on to those...they were precious!

Cooper and Grandma

Cooper and Nana

This is what my mommy looks like...he drew a picture of me. And the top-right picture is my favorite: This is what my mommy likes to do...I am so glad he knows I like to use the Clorox wipes! LOL!

Sunday was a very special day. The boys and Dave got me a GORGEOUS hanging basket and some really sweet cards. We cooked a big breakfast for my parents before church and gave my mom her present. I think she liked it. :) Then after church we went over to Dave's family's house and had a delicious bbq there. Dave's mom loved her gift too! The evening was spent in the hot tub, watching baseball and eating ice cream from Dairy Queen...couldn't have gotten any better than that! It is such a joy and a privilege to be a mom! When I look at my boys, I am reminded just how much God loves me...he gave me the most precious gifts in those two!

Ummm...please excuse the picture of me with no makeup!

I am also blessed to have a strong, kind, faithful, loving mom. I love her so much! Mother's Day gets sweeter and sweeter every year.

First M's Games of the Season

Two weekends ago, we took the boys to Seattle for a very fun, long-anticipated weekend of fun.

Friday afternoon was spent at Gameworks, playing video games (and lots of Skee Ball). We met up with Mike, Katy, Gracie & Cole for just a few minutes and Katy beat me in basketball. I demand a rematch. LOL!




Then Friday night was Ken Griffey, Jr. Bobblehead Night at the Mariners game, so of course that was the most important part of the day. We didn't even have to stand in line that long, so that was a plus! Our seats were down the third base line in the 6th row. Not the closest we've ever sat, but awesome seats anyway! The Mariners won 11-3 that night...lots of hits and runs and cheering and jumping up and down. (Except for when Coop fell asleep on my lap, which changed my jumping up and down to just giving high fives).

Coop, Hunter & Daddy trying to catch a ball during batting practice

Gotta have licorice...

The boys sported their Ken Griffey Jr. shirts that Nana & Papa bought them.

I love this picture!

Ha! Love this picture too!

Wow, we look sleepy there, don't we?

We were able to stay at our friends' house, which is where my little sis, Ashlee, lives too. So Saturday she came with us to lunch at Red Robin and to Funland in Tukwila, where we played miniature golf (or Mariner golf, as Coop likes to call it), drove the Go-Karts and Bumper Boats. Dave & I also rode on a swinging-back-and-forth ride of some sort, and I have to admit...the bungee thing I did last year at the Puyallup fair was A LOT less scary than this one. I won't be going on it again.

Then Sunday, we went to the Mariners game again! It was Felix Hernandez jersey day for all the kids, so the boys got jerseys. They are XL's, so they'll have to grow into them, I guess. Even though the M's lost, we still had fun. Ash was with us, and the boys fought over who got to sit by her. LOL!

Kanekoa Texeira, M's rookie pitcher who pitched in that game, signed Hunter's ball! He was pumped!

I came home from that weekend thinking that it had been one of the funnest weekends that I've ever spent with my family. As the boys get bigger, it is getting easier to take them places and trust that there won't be any fits or temper tantrums. The smile on their faces while we were doing all of those fun things were worth every dollar spent to make their weekend as fun as possible. Each and every day, I thank God for the blessings He's given us...but mostly for Hunter & Cooper. For without those little guys, our lives would be a lot less exciting!

Cal Ripken Baseball

Hunter has finally started playing baseball...on a REAL team..."with REAL uniforms"...as he likes to tell people.

It has been so fun to watch him and his team compete in their games. So many of them have made improvements, and we've only had two games! Their coach is really great - you can tell he loves the game and he is so good with the kids.

These pictures are from Hunter's first game. He played 1st base, and he did an AWESOME job. He caught almost everything that was thrown to him, plus he made several plays on his own. He is always looking to make a double play, too...which is funny.

#9 has been Dave's # throughout his sports career...still is today in softball! And since 51 wasn't available, Hunter picked 9. Couldn't have made Daddy any happier!

We will be playing for about 6 weeks, on Mondays and Wednesdays. He has soccer on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so we are pretty busy. But he is loving it and so are we. I just keep saying to myself, "Soak it in, Ali...because before you know it these times will be gone."

Spring Break and Easter!

Ah...spring break. We look forward to it every year, and every year it seems to fly by. But we really did have a fun time. We spent a few days at Kristal's house, went to a couple of movies, went out to lunch, to the library and shopped for Easter clothes. I loved having the boys here every day, and they loved being here too. They stayed up late and slept in. It was so nice!



Cooper likes to get outside with Daddy and "mow the lawn". He's such a great helper.



The boys love Zags, my sister's dog. She also has a bigger dog, which they are getting used to...but they wanted their picture taken "with just Zags. Ripken won't sit still." LOL

Easter was different this year...it definitely feels weird not to be with your own family on such an important holiday. But since my parents were out of town and Kris was having her in-laws over, I offered to have Dave's family over at our house, and despite my worrying everything turned out just fine. We taught Sunday School, had an awesome church service then came home and cooked up a storm. Our dinner was delicious! The boys hunted eggs in our backyard, and Daddy pitched balls to them later. It was a very enjoyable day!

I think part of why I was so joyful was that for the first time, I was truly focused on the TRUE reason we celebrate Easter. I mean, I have known from a very young age what it was about, but this year I was FOCUSED on what Jesus did for me. I FELT it all weekend. From Friday to Sunday, I could not stop thinking about the price He paid for us. And it was a wonderful feeling.

Hot Tubbin'

Daddy finally cleaned the hot tub!



Hunter says, "Hey mom! I'm swimming!" This, from a child who is afraid of the water...

Coop says, "Hey mom...I'm a shark jumping out of the water." This from a child who is fearless...

And mommy finally got some pictures to blog. :)

World's Best Mariners Fans Visit Safeco...

...and by "World's Best", I do mean my children...Hunter and Coop! There is no other way to describe them, actually - if anyone loves the Mariners, it's those two. I wanted to keep it a secret that we were taking them to Safeco for Fanfest, but they heard me talking to my dad about it and their little ears perked up. Even so, the anticipation was wonderful knowing that on that specific Saturday we'd be waking up early, driving to Seattle, and actually playing and running on that beautiful field! The word 'excited' just doesn't do it justice. They were ECSTATIC!

It wasn't all fun and games though. The standing-in-line part wasn't a big hit, and there was quite a bit of that while we were waiting to get into the field and also while we were waiting for an autograph. But after all that waiting, we got to do some amazing things...including catching a fly ball in the outfield, hitting a ball over the center field wall and running the bases. :) There were so many other fun things we could have done, but we simply didn't have enough time. Maybe next year...'cause I really wanted to visit the clubhouse and the weight room!

1 1/2 hrs. later and we were at the table where Chone Figgens and Casey Kotchman were signing autographs! Whew!

Yup...Hunter struck out Raul Ibanez. Look at that pitching form!

Coop tried too...his pitching skills need some work...but he's got the batting ones down!

Coop thought if he just stood there the ball would fall into his glove. LOL!

Hunter actually ran to catch his ball...it hit his glove, but fell to the ground.

Ummm...this picture is self-explanatory...

Me and the boys in the visitors' dugout.

Daddy and his boys. Maybe one day one of our kids will be sitting there playing! Okay, that is a big maybe, but hey...we can dream!

I will say that Dave did not only put the ball over the wall...he almost cleared the stadium! He is such a showoff...

I still got it! Ha!

It was a great day and it just confirmed what I have known all along, which is that we REALLY do have the MOST fun when we are all together as a family. Now please be sure to scroll down and take a peek at my post about Hunter's 8th birthday!

Say It Ain't So...Our Hunter is 8?!

Okay, people, there is absolutely NO excuse for these posts being so late...truthfully, I have just been a lazy bum!

I guess the biggest news around here is that we have an 8 year old. I won't cry right now, since I already did that last week...but seriously, I just can't believe that Hunter is 8! But I'll tell ya this...he is the greatest 8 year old we know! We celebrated on his actual birthday, which was the 4th, by bringing cupcakes to his class during lunch. The kids have a tradition of singing Happy Birthday, but in between the "happy-birthday-to-you's", they shout, "cha cha cha". It is the funniest thing EVER! I am so glad I get to do things like this on my kids' birthdays...spending just a little time in the classroom tells me a lot about what their day at school is like.

Hunter's best friend, Ruben, got to hold the cupcakes while Hunter handed them out.

Then that evening we had family over for pizza, MORE cupcakes and rootbeer floats.

He got a lot of good stuff!

On Saturday, we had a few of his friends and cousins come to the bowling alley for a couple of hours of bowling, food and video games! We could not have had more fun even if we tried!

I just have to say that a bowling party is the way to go. They all had a blast! And when they got tired of bowling, they just played the video games (special thanks to Papa Gil and Papa Chuck and Daddy for supplying lots of quarters:).

And even though Coop's birthday is 6 months away, he is already planning his birthday...which will be at Chuck E. Cheese, the bowling alley and our backyard - LOL. He has big plans, I'm tellin' ya!

Thanks to all of you who that made it to one (or both) of Hunter's birthday parties! It wouldn't be the same without each of you there! He really knows he's loved, that's for sure...but I hope I don't have a nervous breakdown when he turns 9! Ahhhhh!