Happy Father's Day Ken

This man of mine.  He's my rock.  He's the love of my life.  He's the best dad for my children that I could ever have dreamed of.  He told me when we very first started dating that all he really wanted in life was to be a dad.  He wanted that even more than he wanted to get married.  He just always wanted to be a dad.  I found this little gem of a picture when I was looking for a good shot of him.  Problem is, he is usually the one behind the camera!  This is a throwback to the first day Ken was a dad.  That little cherub is Stone.  I love the contented, sleeping look on Ken's face.  It sums him up perfectly.  And that snuggle from Stone?  Also sums up how all of our children feel about their dad.  I'm so, so lucky and so, so blessed.  And so are all my babies!

 

I was lame this year and didn't get him anything.  BUT I did make him a yummy dessert.  If the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, at least he knows he's loved!

Happy Father's Day Ken!  To the best father to my children I could have hoped for!

Last day of school

This week, the boys finally finished school!  Stone finished third grade and Ollie finished Kindergarten.  They both had fantastic years.  They've grown so much!

 

 

 

 

Flowers!

I LOVE fresh flowers on my kitchen table!  Love them! My sweet neighbor Mae-San brought me over the most lovely flowers fresh from his yard this week.  Made my whole day! 

 

 

"Lettuce" see what's growing in the garden!

Today is Sunday and we needed a salad with dinner.  Look what Ken found!  Oh the things I find entertaining!

Take note of the mischievous baby girl in the background.  All day she pulls stuff off the fridge. 

Ollie {finally} lost a tooth!

Poor little Ollie has been anxiously awaiting the day when he'd finally lose a tooth.  His bottom two teeth have been quite loose for awhile, but not coming out.  He has been unable to eat hard things and they were really bugging him.  Ken finally deemed they were loose enough to come out.

 

Getting the first tooth out was pretty dramatic.  There were lots of tears involved.  He decided that the wasn't ready for Ken to pull out both teeth that night.  Once he recovered, he excitedly put his tooth under his pillow when he went to sleep.

 

And then the poor tooth fairy didn't even make it!  She had a hard night and decided to try again the next day.  Ollie says most of his days are hard, so he understood her completely.

 

The next night, Ollie was ready for the next tooth to come out.  That night, the tooth fairy showed.  He's loving his new smile!

My poor, poor face

I had my skin cancer removed this week.  It was rough.  I'm so sad about it still.  My eyebrows are crooked.  I'm sure it'll even out eventually, but for the time being, I'm sad.  And avoiding mirrors.

 

Happy Birthday Pepper!

My baby girl turned one this week.  My very first baby girl is one!  It has been a kind of intense year.  I've see life and death. I've changed careers.  I've had to confront all of the generational issues that having a girl is bringing up.  It's been good.  All of it.  Intense, but good.  All week I pondered on what I'd write about her and to her. When she's older (and now too) I want her to know just how precious she is to me and how much I love her and how much I have learned from her.  Alas, it is late and I don't have the words.  Suffice it to say having a girl is different than having all boys.  In some ways it is a million times harder.  With boys, I've been just winging it and saying, "Hey, Ken!  Is this what I'm supposed to do?!" But with a girl, there is so much I want for her.  I want her to love her body.  I want her to know how she is perfect just how she is.  I want her to know that being a mother and a woman (especially of God) is the greatest of all gifts and the greatest of all callings too.  I want her to be her own person.  I don't want her to carry around garbage and issues the way I have done.  I want her to be truly happy and for me to be all that she needs me to be.  Argh!  There is so much more to say about it too, but I love her (and all of my boys) beyond belief.  I'm so incredibly blessed to have each of them!  Alright, enough sap, bring on the baby!