Moms day with the kids

Tuesday July 9th - took all the kids to Point Defiance Zoo. Nate and Hollie are both big animal lovers. The zoo for me gets transformed in to something magical when I see it through their eyes. I have had our membership about two years now and have never seen the main stage show. It was impressive. They had the volcher swoop close to our heads. All the animals came out but they were really actors in this play they have put together. Lauren and I both laughed and enjoyed it as much as the other two. At the end they asked for donations to a wildlife preserve. In turn you could get on stage and pet the animal. I am always telling the girls when you want to get something from me it is all in how you present your case and to always choose your words wisely. Selecting the wrong word or not thinking through how you phrase something may negatively impact what you want to accomplish. The way the zoo put on this show and the percentage of the audience that made donations was very impressive! 

Here are the kids Lauren 15 Nate 2 and Hollie 19   

We went home after the zoo, put Nate to bed and got on our work clothes. The side of the house has a spot that collects water. The girls and I put on 3 hours of hard manual labor. We dug a trench as pictured. We were very proud of this, it was back breaking work! We placed two inches of rock followed by a large French drain. We laid landscaping cloth over the drain and added dirt to level it out. To celebrate our accomplishment we went out for dinner and ice cream :) 

Our weekend

Nathan- In the last month he learned to walk backwards. The last few days this is his favorite mode of transportation. He does not like the sprinkler or being splashed in the face with water. We continue to work on his colors. He loves to have books read to him, we spent 45 mins this evening reading straight. He loves to be outside and helping with chores. He takes pride in working.

Hollie- spent time with Alexa at her house. She went to the gym and asked about a volunteer position. She interviewed at Multicare for a greeter position. They currently do not have an opening but will keep her in mind. She is going to the unemployment office tomorrow to try and get help finding a job. I love her resilience and remind her that there will be a job for her, we just have to find it.

Lauren- She is going to have a busy year this year. She spent the weekend on Friday had Lacy over to stay the night. They went to Menchies (frozen yogurt place), did nails, played dance game, chased the boys in the neighborhood :) Saturday she went over to Nate's (BFF) they went for a run on the Milton trail, they played video games, and just hung out. Sunday was sister time :)

Thom and Leah- spent time together ! We took a drive and played board games. Thom insisted on challenging me to Scrabble so I beat him. He then asks for a rematch- I beat him again!  So what do you think about best out of 3? Yes I do believe I won yet again. :) We planned the back yard and are looking at buying a car.

My own down falls

I will be participating in the Ragnar run in less than 15 days. I am not ready by any means and have a fair amount of anxiety about letting my team down. I have several projects that I need to complete at work with another upcoming meeting fast approaching. I also have anxiety about. I am so afraid of failing or letting others down that I do not complete the task and make excuses. I have normally kept this under check however in the last year it seems to be worse. Why do I feel that I have to do it perfectly? I have no idea. It is frustrating. Then to watch Lauren also have the same issue? How did she learn this from me? Ugh need to develop a plan to change this behavior. I have looked into some behavior therapists for Lauren and then some one for me. The funny thing is -I dont want to be perfect or the example? I just want to be fun, relaxed, and carefree.

July 5th

Took the girls and Nate to NW Trek. Hollie and Nate love seeing the animals. Lauren not so much. I love the wooded trails but feel that the small animal exhibits are not well maintained. Nate loved the tram we got on the 1:00 so he fell asleep about half way through. I loved getting to hold him while he napped. It is a rarity at best just before bed we rock but as soon as he yawns he asks to be laid in his crib. I did not have a stroller with us, Nate walks everywhere. We cut our trip short, I carried him to the car. Where he woke during transfer and remained a ray of sunshine for the rest of the day :) I am very lucky most children do not wake well. Animals we saw included grizzly bear, bison, rams, deer, moose, and a raccoon.  Probably won't go back for a bit, it was costly and animal exhibits were not as nice. Although Mike the tram tour guide was great.

Girls trip to Alaska

The girls hopped a plane up to AK to visit grandma and pa Evans. They stayed at the river house in Salcha. Activities included shopping, horseback riding, and going on the lake. They tried to teach Lauren and Hollie how to drive a stick. Hollie backed out but Lauren picked it up. She did great however according to the grandparents it was a bit scary at first. She had a moose cross her path and wouldn't move. They stayed 5 days and had dinner with all the family. They loved getting to see everyone. Sounds like it was a good trip.

Nathan 2 yrs 4 mos

Nathan is an easy going sweet boy. In the last couple months he has learned to sing and follow hand movements with these songs. First song he sang was from cars movie " life is a highway" now he sings wheels on the bus and school bus song. Nathan is very stingy with kisses when he does give you a kiss it is genuine and very special. It's funny he tends to give kisses to his stuffed turtle, cars or baby doll. 

He understands the difference between a golf club and hockey stick. Really good at saying please - thank you- welcome- bless you appropriately. He loves to read books about 10 in one sitting. He tends to stay close to mom dad and sissy's. he is a cautious child. He does not like slides  or swings. He was recently at lake chelan  and it took a good 20 min of watching the waves in the water before he would even get close to it. He says all of his alphabet accurately, and the sounds of the letters to H. He counts to 16 often omits numbers 6 and 12. Nathan job is to pick up his toys and to put away the silverware. He loves to help unload and load the dishwasher and water the plants. 

Friends - he loves to play with older children primarily. He did hold Finn's hand at the park and was learning how to invite a friend to do an activity that he wanted. He followed Amelia around and was very interested in her but does not pay attention to Rhodes yet. Loves to chase after Theo, Georgia, and Auggie. 

Random day

Spent the entire day washing clothes and unpacking from Chelan trip. Girls leave Thursday for Alaska with Grandma and pa Evans. They are very much looking forward to this. Hollie went to her doctors appt by herself and got her hair cut:) looks good. She pretty much pays for her stuff with the exception of insurance housing tuition. Her 3rd quarter grades are great! Now she just needs to get serious about a job. Still waiting on Lauren's grades. She had an off day today :( once she realizes her full potential she will be amazing ! We did full out request for college touts and information.