Thoughts today

I have so many pictures I have not taken of Liv at school. One of these days I will remember to take my camera with me. But for now I just wanted to jot down a few favorite memories of volunteering in Liv's school today. She get's so excited when I volunteer. I love the look on her face when I told her today "I'm volunteering so I'll be at your school".

I love holding her hand as we walk to school together, and then following her in to her school instead of waving goodbye. Today I heard people complimenting her on her outfit, and when she came in to her classroom she ran up to me and quickly whispered with a blush in her cheeks "Every one says I look like spring today". I love to see her so happy.

When I volunteer I usually do some filing or cutting or copies and then work one on one with students in need. I've never yet gotten to work with Liv until today. The teacher had a reading game that I could do with her. It was so fun to go whisper to her sitting there at her desk "Liv, you get to come back with me". She got the biggest smile and jumped right up.

My favorite part of the hour was listening to all the kindergartners sing. "Superstar! Superstar" jumping up and down and dancing. They do this little dance and they sing a few songs together every morning, which I love that they do, because it makes them all so happy, and music just brings the whole class to life. I loved watching her smile and jump among the kindergarten mosh pit singing with her beautiful voice "Superstar. Superstar. I'm a superstar!"

I love that girl. It's so good to see her so happy, because sometimes she's kind of grumpy, and down about life. Almost every morning I ask her how she slept and she says "Not good".  If I ask how her how her day was she tends to tell me something bad, but if I ask "What were three favorite parts about your day" then she can redirect her energy to the positive. Her personality can be really tricky and trying some days, but I'm still figuring out and prayerful about how to raise a child that is quite emotional. It's interesting how my children are so different, and they really just seem to come how they are. My goal is to simply find out who Heavenly Father has sent me, and learn to work with each child individually. I hope I don't ruin anybody.

Anyway, I love that for one hour straight Liv was just pure happy. Hopefully she saves her grumpies for when she's at home with me and not at school. Maybe that means she's just comfortable with me. Maybe it's a girl thing, because my boys are so unemotional. Or maybe it's a school aged thing. I'm trying to figure it out. I'll get there one day I think.

Spring Break with the Hoopes Family

The Pacific Science Center

Are you ready for my favorite picture of the whole trip. Here it is:

Hilarious. Why are enlarged heads so funny to me. I know not. I laugh so hard every time I see this. 

Abby and Liv were attached at the hip the whole trip, which explains all the noddy behavior on Warner's part. He did his best to steal her attention by poking her cheeks, or pulling her hair, or smashing his nose up against her face. Poor boy, I think had his first introduction to girl bonding. 

The butterfly house is always a highlight. I just love the 80 degree humid weather. Takes me back to the HI days. 

I would have stayed in their longer, but Warner kept trying to kill all the little butterflies. Little stinker. 

The International Fountain 

The Seattle Aquarium

The kids all loved eating a snack while watching this diver feed a lovely wolf eel. They were mesmerized

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The giant octopus came out to play. That was awesome.
Oh hello.


Abby got plenty of kisses from the  Brown boys while she was here.

Abby's favorite thing at the aquarium I think was the touch tanks. She loved the starfish. 


Buster's Favorite was staring at the colorful jelly fish under the glow lights. 

Jonny's favorite was well everything. He just kept pointing and saying "Shishy! Shishy!" 


Liv and Warner's favorite exhibit, was the diver birds. The Puffins and Auklets. It was so neat to watch the birds swim and then flap their wings under water. It looked like they were flying under water.


My favorite thing was just being with the kids and Taryn. I think we're pretty darn brave and awesome for venturing out on our own to downtown Seattle with five kids under the age of 6! 

Oh and I loved this little guy. He reminded me so much of Liv sucking on her blanket when she was a baby. 

The Carousel Ride

i.e. Heaven on earth for kids under seven at least. 

And then he turned to look the other way and spotted his reflection and got pretty excited. . .

The Crab Pot

Once again I gotta give ourselves a pat on the back for going out to eat with all the kiddos, not to mention two rambunctious toddlers. I think we must have had guardian angels helping us that day or something, because not only did we find a parking spot right outside where we were going (which never happens), but also the kids were miraculously well behaved at lunch. I couldn't believe how good they were. Maybe they were just pooped from the aquarium, but the older kids just sat and colored quietly while we waited for our food, and Johnny just kept flirting with all the waitresses saying "Hi. Hi. Hi" and Buster was just quiet and happy. And to think with all those little mouths to feed including our own, we only spilled one glass of water.

But, let's remember the menu just for a second, because food is such a great part of memories isn't it? Especially this food. T and I got crab stuffed mushrooms and fresh baked sour dough bread as appetizers. Then for our main course, dungeness crab melts that were AMAZING. Even better than Nolah's cafe on Bainbridge island. Which is great, because Nolah's is a little more pricey. Oh man. So good. Don't worry though, because we saved room for some baked goods from Tom Douglas' Dahlia Bakery. Best Peanut Butter cookie EVER. Seriously.

A Night Out with/out Kids to Pike's and a Tom Douglas Restaurant called Lola's 

One night we hired a babysitter, and Jaron chauffeured T and I around the city. We hit up Pike's, Lola's and got done with dinner just in time to catch the sunset on the sound. We missed Jord.
 

Bonding

 

The girls primping in the bathroom together. Painting nails and getting lip gloss on. Such cuties.

All cozy for movie night with popcorn. There's nothing like cousin time. 

A trip to Seahurst and the Whale

 It was so fun to have visitors, especially the Hoopes family. Thanks for visiting us Taryn Abby and Johnny. 

Easter Sunday