First day of Pre-K & our weekend

Riley had her first day of preschool this morning!  This year she is in the 4's class, MWF for 3 hours.  She is at the same preschool as last year with the same teachers and mostly the same kids in her class.  We have been so excited to start!  This morning she just went for an hour then will start with her regular schedule on Friday.  She was super excited, but a tad anxious as we were walking up and even grabbed my hand, which was so sweet and so unlike her.  She had fun finding her bin then marched right into class, full of confidence and knowing exactly what to do next.  She even hugged both her teachers, which she never does!  When we picked Riley up she was happy to see us, but fairly quiet about how her first day went.  Sonja was more than thrilled to see Riley.  I think she was rather put off by the fact that she could not go to school with her!  Little sister pretty much wants to be Riley, poor thing.  Riley was pretty exhausted from the whole first day hype so we spent the afternoon playing around the house and I had the kids fed, bathed and in bed before 7pm tonight, a wonderful and much needed accomplishment :) 

This last weekend was a busy one - we celebrated Sonja's birthday in more ways than one!  I think I overdid it this year since I was feeling a bit anxious about how I would be feeling.  I wanted to go overboard since last year I felt like my celebrations were shoved to the side for more important pressing matters such as a sick brother.  We invited over our good friends for dinner that evening and had a fun and wild evening with the kids, basking in the amazing late summer weather we've been having.  Here is a picture of most of the crazy kids 

We also welcomed Melinda, Tylers mom, late Friday night for a weekend visit.  She came to celebrate Sonja's birthday with us, as well as help with the kids while I ran in the Bellingham Traverse.  We did this race 4 years ago with some friends when Riley was just 10 months old.  We decided to get our team back together this year for another go at it.  Tyler injured himself mountain biking about 6 weeks ago, so last minute decided to not do his leg.  He found a last minute sub, so he ended up just cheering us on.  The race consists of 5 legs and I did the 3.4 mile trail run.  I had a blast doing it - the adrenaline from the race and the beautiful sunny Bellingham day made for a great experience.  Here is a team photo - with the Youngs as well, since Kyle was our last minute sub (total ringer by the way!!!  he pulled our team from nearly dead last after the first leg to middle of the pack!)

Saturday evening Tyler made us dinner and Melinda spoiled the girls with gifts.  Here the girls are in their matching vest from great grandma Chris aka Grandma in the Bus

Sunday we drove to Seattle for a family party at my mom's house.  We had a very casual and fun time hanging as a family.  I love my family and love being around them.  I have noticed, especially, in the last year that being around my family is refreshing and comforting, like a calming salve to my forever aching wound.  They are the only people in the world that truly get it.  And ps. Martha, Tyler and Henry just got back from a two week roadtrip to Yellowstone and the Tetons, so here Henry is showing off his new cowboy hat.  Love this little man.  

Again, happy 2nd birthday my sweet Sonja!

Sonja is TWO!

Happy Birthday to our silly, talkative and adorable little girl.  The last two years have flown by.  I remember her birth so clearly - a successful VBAC after just 6 hours of labor.  We all fell so hard and fast for her.  From the time she was born she was sweet and fairly easy going.  We have loved to see her personality develop over this last year.  She is completely physically motivated - she does not just walk down the stairs, she jumps.  She climbs on top of everything and rarely does she fall.  She has figured out how to maneuver her petite little body.  She was very slow to talk, but at the beginning of the summer she went from just a few words to full sentences overnight.  She loves to read, play with dolls and mostly just follow Riley around.  Lately she has been behaving like a toddler - "no mommy, my do it" is what we hear all day long.  She is definitely a mama's girl and loves for me to hold her and help me do my chores.  She already has an opinion about many things - picking out her clothes just like Riley, ack!!!!

Probably one of the funnier things about her is her ability to make us laugh and make the craziest facial expressions.  It is hard to capture on camera, so I don't have too many great pictures to prove this.  Her middle name is Drew, after her Uncle Drew, and I think that she completely embodies the clown that Uncle Drew was.  We love this about her.  She couldn't be better suited to carry his name.  Today, like most holidays, birthdays and anniversaries, I miss my brother.  He was standing next to me when I gave birth to Sonja.  An unexpected gift that we both gave to each other.  Her last birthday he laid sick in bed for most of her party and this year he is gone.  There are so many moments throughout my day that I'm watching Sonja act crazy and my heart aches because I can not text Andrew and tell him all about the funny thing she said.  Miss you Andrew.  You would love who Sonja is.






This morning we opened presents.  She loves her new car and baby stroller!




Pictures on the front porch






We had a few of her girlfriends over for a playdate this morning.  We had snacks, cupcakes and played!

September so far

I'm going to try and get back into this blogging thing slowly...I am learning in all areas of my life to take baby steps.  But I do miss this space and sharing photos and writing out my thoughts.  The summer has been full of so many idyllic summery moments but also a lot of brokenness and grief.  I think I hit the bottom of my grief and have finally begun to take some healthy steps towards healing.  It is a hard, hard process, but I have already started to experience the peace that comes with being honest and raw.  My family and I are survivors - in more ways than just one - so I know we will keep marching forward.  But I am learning that in order to march forward I have to stop and breathe and take care of myself.  

Just a few pictures from this month so far...

On Labor Day we went for a long bike ride with the kids and ended up in Fairhaven for lunch, bookstore exploring and ice cream.

Riley & Sonja are playing together more and more each day.  It is so fun to see!  Riley LOVES to mother Sonja and insists on doing everything for her.  It is adorable.

This nearly 5 year old starts her second year of preschool in less than 2 weeks!