he shared

Jeff's Father's Day breakfast...AJ so loved stacking that plate full of  bacon cooked to crisp perfection...the eggs and toast needed a plate of their own!

still, i love Jeff far too much to let him consume it all by himself....

he shared, thank goodness.  didn't want to take him down on Father's Day!  two pounds went far and Jeff still did alright in the end...

i deeply love this guy's giant heart and all that he brings to this family.  and i think the bacon spoke that message to him.  mission accomplished. 

spring pics

just a few recent spring moments to love...

Jeff's dedicated soccer spectators braved the cold and rain, therefore post-game treats were a definite necessity!

monthly road race with our youngest four....Hudson ran 1 km in 3:40, his new PB, hat and all!

 Layla and Maiya and pool shenanigans...what could be better?!

this solar system project by Hudson was the first one i really saw him embrace and enjoy creating and assembling...i was so impressed to see his focus and effort and pride in the finished product!

pops of green spring growth...

and garden spinach courtesy of my dad, aka gardener extraordinaire...

bedtime hugs

spring winds down so quickly it seems, tomorrow ushers in the first day of summer already!  enjoy these seasons of sun and warmth and beauty!  

human target

AJ is starting to think he has a giant target on his small body.  lately he's been hit by a few inside pitches during baseball games (he now says how much he hopes a pitcher is "accurate"), and just this past weekend he took a foul ball from the opposing team right on the face when it flew into the dugout, knocking him down on impact! 

he wanted to take the above pic to send to Joelle... so we did!  her first question, "did he cry?"  nope, he didn't!

what a trooper he is...his nose started to bleed pretty bad and his top lip almost immediately grew to the size of which i've never seen before!

he sat out the rest of the game and the next one too, but thankfully was really fine overall and no teeth were lost!  last night he was dressed for the game and back in action, so all is well...thankful for that!

morning crazy

hard to not feel just a wee bit lighter at 7:35 in the morning when these two wait at the end of the driveway looking like this...

all set for crazy hair day at school.  made me grin.  AJ had the Afro nice and evenly arranged and styled~ large scale, so we were pretty sure any unassuming drivers passing by might mistake it as real! :)

Joelle must have been amused as well because photo credit is all hers...

just like Grilli

baseball is such a wonderful thing for me these days.  i just love love love watching three of my boys (yes, Hudson, AJ and Jeff, aka coach extraordinaire!) soak up the excitement of league play with a fun team of really great boys on these beautiful spring nights when the sun is warm and pretty and the field is green and the sounds and sights of the ball diamond have a refreshing way of greeting a new season.  it is relaxing and a gift i simply treasure.

anyway, last night Hudson was called in to pitch mid game.  he threw his warm up pitches and knelt down to scratch something into the dirt on the mound.  i didn't think much of it.  i thought he was clearing the ground of a stone or twig.  

on the way home, he said "hey Dad, i did a Jason Grilli tonight! did you see it when i wrote in the dirt by my feet?" Jeff immediately knew what he meant and asked him what he'd written. "S&J", responded Hudson....Awwhhh, my heart....S&J for us, his parents!  he said he'd wanted to write more, but didn't want the umpire to tell him to hurry up! :)  part of the reason Hudson loves baseball is the chance to emulate all the things he loves most about the big league players, and Jason Grilli from the Toronto Blue Jays is one of the many!  Hudson regularly, as in almost each and every game, adapts his batting stance and his throw and his handshakes and mannerisms to model what he sees on MLB baseball...while it can be extremely inconsistent and not at all predictable when you're trying to establish a solid hitting routine, it is also quite cute and one of the very reasons he loves to play as much as he does.  i just love that both boys are having fun out there and learning the sport that offers life skills beyond the innings played at the ball park.

play on boys, and go Wranglers!

throwback.....Tuesday? sure, why not...

we did a bit of photo transferring recently... this allowed me to walk through a few moments of pretty special history.  and i can never resist a good throwback to a pretty magical time...

Hudson "the boxer" not long after coming home.  Layla on the toilet being the ham...

"hey dad, can we go for a bike ride down the footpath?!!"  amazing memories of after supper cruisin'

bridge excursions with our sweet neighbour friend...pre AJ!

hotel pool swims...

Saturday evening reading by the crackling fire

miss spunk...written all over her face

Tiny Hidden Talents production one summer....was absolutely priceless.  

my favourite moments as a mom.  stories that engage.
cozy moments before tuck-in.

new puppy fun thanks to Grandma Mary's dog lovin' ways.  AJ's grip might be a bit tight, i fear...

Sting game fun.  headband stage for Hannah that seemed to go on for so long, and now seems so long ago.  miss it.

these two

bless my heart, these cuties were so happy to present this tray to me Sunday morning...but don't be fooled by the sweet peaceful charm these boys exude in the photograph below...

their head chef, aka "dad", relays a less than peaceful story of mother's day breakfast preparations...he describes a bit of a harrowing adventure, and i think he is happy to stick to teaching them baseball!

they are pretty cute though!