Gone fishin'

Collin took Ronan to a u-fish pond a few weeks back to have some father-son bonding time.

It was a successful trip!

Ronan was so excited when he caught one. He quickly called Daddy who reeled it in.

Afterwards they went to Papa's house to show him their catch and get some help in cleaning the fish.

Yay for a successful fishing trip!

Mariners Baseball: SEA vs NYY

Last Thursday we attended the Mariners vs Yankees baseball game at Safeco Field. Latham had a sleepover at Nana & Grandpa's house; we didn't think he'd appreciate a three hour game plus the two hours of driving each way - especially since it was an evening game that started at 7pm.

It was Ken Griffey Jr. backwards baseball cap night, so the first 20,000 fans got a hat.

Ronan modeling his new hat.

A picture with the Mariner's mascot, the Mariner Moose.

Ronan, Collin, Lauryn and I with the field in the background.

Of course, baseball games are all about the food. Pizza...

...cotton candy, cracker jacks, etc.

Play ball! This is a picture of New York Yankee Derek Jeter up at bat.

The Mariners lost 1-3, but a fun time was had by all!

Summertime fun

The weather was fantastic last week - hot and sunny! I made the most of it with the kids, riding bikes to the library, visiting the water park, picking fresh vegetables from a farm, going on a picnic for lunch, etc.

When Collin came home in the evenings we would make burgers and hot dogs on the barbeque and eat outside. Afterwards the kids would continue to play, and every night it was way past bedtime before they fell asleep.

What's the best ever on a hot evening? Watermelon!

Latham couldn't get enough!

Ronan gets "watermelon" and "lemonade" mixed up all the time. He knows the difference, but if he doesn't think about it, he calls watermelon lemonade and vice versa.

Lauryn and Ronan loved the sprinkler...

...Latham not so much. He prefered to sit on his tricycle and watch the older kids.

What a happy boy!

Hopefully we get more super hot weather before summer is finished!

Independence Day!

We had a great July 4th. The weather could have been a bit better, but at least it didn't rain and we were still able to do our traditional Fourth of July festivities.

Our niece, Lauryn, came down for the week so she celebrated with us.

Ronan and Lauryn after decorating the cake with blueberries, strawberries and mini marshmallows. Lauryn did the flag side and Ronan did the other side.

Our friends, Phil & Cecilia, and their twins, Lucy & Gabby, stopped by also.

The three amigos.

You gotta love $3 patriotic Walmart t-shirts! Collin and I each got one as well.

Relaxing with Ronan. Notice my new glasses!

Collin and Ronan

Collin and Latham

Our stash of fireworks - so much fun!

Ronan and Lauryn with the special effects glasses that came in a package of fireworks.

Helping Ronan light a firework - then we would run away to watch from a safe distance.

Hope you had a happy and safe Fourth of July!

Extreme Sport

Who knew that pinecone collecting was an extreme sport?!? Apparently it is, by the look of Ronan's injury during his pinecone collecting expedition last Saturday.

In order to clean the wound - which was received when he ran head-first into a fifth wheeler trailer hitch - Daddy even had to give him a custom haircut, which contributes to the overall look.

Since head wounds bleed A LOT, Ronan was quite in shock after the incident. He put his hand up to his head and when he saw the blood, he innocently asked, "What is happening?" When it was explained to him that he was bleeding he was really scared; he thought he would lose all his blood. Poor little guy!

Since he's only 4 years old, we know that this won't be the last injury he receives doing very important little boy work. By the way, the pinecones weren't forgotten, he made sure of that!