Garfield Park

So, there is this really great park about 10 miles north of my house, in Everett. My friend, Kristi, had originally told me about it. We had a playdate set up today with Cindy & her boys, Cayden & Evan and since Cindy knows my other friends Alyssa & Kristi, I invited them along. Kristi couldn't make it, but Alyssa was free, so she and her 2 boys, AJ & Andrew joined us. So all total, we had 6 BOYS there. It was fun...Gibson is so use to being around all the girls his age that he hangs with, I think he really enjoyed running around with the boys.

Gibson on the "water" play structure.

Cayden chasing Gibson

Down the slide...there are about 5 slides at this place and they are all really cool and they are all different!

This is the merry go round. It's really fun, the kids have a blast on it! Gibson had to push himself around on it though because Grady was asleep in the Ergo on my chest and so I couldn't bend over to push him...I pushed a few times with my foot, but that was too hard.

They have these fun little seats that spin around. Once I convinced Gibson to get in there, he had a ball and kept telling me "more, mommy, fasser, fasser". He was cracking me up!

And then I decided to try the seats and let Gibson push me around...dizzy much? Poor Grady at least he was napping through all this!

The rock structure - Gibson liked being in the "cave"...

While Cayden enjoyed giving his mom a heart attack by climbing on top of it!

This would have been a great park to bring Gibson's bike to...next time. He loved running around on the cement path that borders the play equipment.

Baby Evan

YAY! Alyssa arrives with her boys and AJ spins the kids around on the merry go round. Gibson was in heaven.

The frog - Cayden & Gibson

The frog with Andrew (he will be 3 in August), Cayden (he was 3 in April) & Gibson (who will be 3 at the end of June)

Yet another spinny thing. I was a little worried that he would let go, but he held on tight and had a good time.

This is the "ultimate spinny thing". It makes you sooooo dizzy. It's grand. I tried it by myself first and nearly got ill because I got going so fast I couldn't stop...then I decided it would be fun to see if I could get it to go around a couple of times with Gibson on it. Once I got going, we went around a few times and then had to stop, it wasn't easy to hold him on there with the "g forces" or whatever pulling on him.


I love all the cool equipment this park has and I LOVE that I can sit in ONE SPOT if I want and see the entire park...this park is laid out so well, and it's really handy when I am trying to feed Grady or something like that. Sometimes running all over the park after Gibson is hard since he is everywhere and won't stay in one place longer than about 5 seconds.

Dinner with friends

Tonight, we had dinner with our friends, The Van Liews. I had originally called to see if they wanted to meet us at "Grill Cheese" (Gibson's name for The Old Spaghetti Factory) because Gibson has been requesting to see Chloe and we haven't hung out with Tamara & Phil in a while. Tamara and I talked and ended up deciding we would go to their house because it would be easier and they have had a busy week. So, over there we went and had some really yummy ribs, asparagas and tater tots. It was yummy and SO much easier than going out. We could actually talk and when the kids were done with dinner we didn't have to battle them to stay at the table, they could get down and we could still sit, eat and chat, what a concept!

After dinner 3 of the 4 kids got in the bath and then after bath they had dessert....the cupcakes I had make the night prior! Chloe and Keith both love cupcakes and since Gibson has a new found liking for sweets, they all had a good time eating them. However, once again, Gibson was up super late talking to himself because of the chocolate frosting.

No cupcake for this little one, but he still needed his picture in here!

Some randomness from today

Grady sharing his wheat-free, dairy-free fig newton with you all....(apparently, it's not one of his favorite foods, after he tried to share it with the camera, it got thrown on the floor)

This is the boy's new favorite things to do. Now that we can have the windows open and it's nice out both boys love to just look out the window and watch what is going on outside.

So, I am not sure what has happened to MY child and who this is, but first ice cream and now, a cupcake. Last night, after a particularly bad day, I decided I needed cupcakes, so about 8:30, I whipped up a batch. Normally, Gibson would not of even noticed but for some reason he did this time and he was bugging me non stop for one. I made him clean up all his toys and then he got to enjoy it. He had that thing scarfed down in less than 2 minutes and then wanted another (which he didn't get, one is plenty especially at 6:30pm, which is probably why he didn't fall asleep until after 9pm tonight). He liked being "messy" with the frosting.

Showing off his Disneyland T-shirt.

Grady, just being, well, cute.


Ok, so technically this was last night, but I want you all to see this. Anytime I sit or lay on the floor this is what happens. I get mauled. Both boys instantly come over and start climbing all over me. Gibson likes to "jump" on me and Grady is learning really quickly how to climb all over me too. Crazy kids.

THANKS KIM!!!

My friend, Kim, made these wonderful bibs. She posted about making them as a gift for someone on her blog a while back and I told her I had to have one and she obliged and even sent me THREE! I LOVE THEM! They are wonderful and totally the perfect colors for my boys. They are so nice I am scared to use them, Grady is what you would call a "messy eater". THANK YOU SO MUCH, KIM!!! You are very sweet.

Dear Grady,

Mommy is really proud of you. You are doing so much better with your sleeping. I appreciate you only getting up twice a night. Mommy can totally handle that. But we need to talk about your naps. YOU HAVE TO NAP. It's the law. Really, I promise, the LAW. So, starting tomorrow, I expect at least an hour nap in the morning and I would like a 2 hour nap in the afternoon (but I would settle for an hour and a half). Trust me, your life will be easier and you will feel better and not be quite as miserable (and for the record, mom might not be as stressed).

Also, good job on your eating lately...you are doing so much better, it's great. But, we need to talk about this throwing food on the new carpet. It doesn't bug me so much, but it makes your dad grumpy. So, could you refrain from that at dinner time and only do it at lunch when mommy is here and doesn't mind it? That would be swell.

Love you loads and loads. You are so sweet.

Love,

Mommy

Dear Gibson,

Honey, Mommy loves you lots!

LOADS AND LOADS!

Really.

But,

PLEASE could you listen to mommy? Please?

Mommy is frazzled. F-R-A-Z-Z-L-E-D! I mean, I know everything you are doing is normal, but you are wearing mommy thin, so could you cut me a break? Even just one day would be faboo. And, I KNOW your brother would really like it if you quit picking on him and trying to show your love by laying on him, he really doesn't like that much and I am positive he doesn't like you ripping toys out of his hands either. I don't think this behavior is what I paid for. I was suppose to have a sweet perfect child that did/does everything I say. After all, I bought the "Papa Phil Model" because he was the "Perfect Child" according to his mom. Too bad your Great Grandma Leona isn't around for me to talk to, maybe (probably!) I am doing something wrong.

Sweet dreams tonight, darlin. Tomorrow is a new day.

Love,

Your favorite mommy

(oh, and my name is MOMMY, not April, to you, sweetness. Thanks much)

Happy Memorial Day!

Since Gregg was off today for the holiday, we decided it would be a fun day to just do whatever we wanted and have a family day. So, we decided to drive to Edmonds and take the ferry across the sound to Kingston. The weather wasn't the greatest today and we did get rather wet, but all in all it was fun and we did ok. This was Grady's first ferry ride.

All my boys waiting to board the ferry.

Gibson on the ferry, he was telling us all about the stuff he saw outside the window and the things he was seeing in the water.

Grady & I on the ferry. It was past nap time here, can you tell? Can you also tell how tired and icky I look? I am having major allergy issues today (thanks to the Scotchbroom that is in bloom) and it didn't help that I stayed up late talking to my friend, Bobette, who lives in India. Since the time difference is 11.5 hours, I have to talk to her late at night here (although I don't always start out late talking to her, it ends up that way since we can easily talk for 2+ hours, but I digress).

We ate lunch over in Kingston at the Ale House there. They had a "bucket" of stuff for Gibson to play with.

Grady finally sleeping...I was able to put him down and he slept all the way through lunch!

This picture is for Kelli & Dennis. Can you believe they served me a Pepsi in a Guiness scooner?

And this. This is BIG. HUGE. Monumental. GIBSON ATE ICE CREAM, of his own free will...and actually REQUESTED to eat "ishe crem". Pink ice cream was the request. So, we obliged. (incase you don't know the back story, he use to hate, and I mean hate, ice cream, temper inducing hate if it even touched his fork, so this is a big deal)

My boys on the ferry...this picture cracks me up. Click on it and check out the look on Grady's face, I am trying to decide who I think he looks like there, it's hysterical.

Leaving Kingston...we were on the Walla Walla (both ways actually)

After we got off the ferry we let Gibson "frow rocks a da beach", I swear next to torturing his brother, that is his favorite thing to do.

After this big outing we all came home and had a nap...