Sam's Birthday/Mother's Day

Since Sam's birthday is May 12, he and I will always share the Mother's Day holiday.  And we did that this year again too!  Sunday morning, Jeff took the boys out to the store, and they all came back with flowers they had picked out for me.  It was so sweet.  Jeff got me a soda maker this year.  I need to learn how to use it, I think it will be fun!  We got Sam a new bike for his birthday this year.  He's getting used to it.

Later that morning, we went to Jeff's parent's house to have a brunch and celebrate Sam.  He opened a couple of presents.  Then we were off to do a bike ride.  They have something in Portland called the Portland Parkways.  A part of a neighborhood closes some of its streets and people are able to safely ride or walk.  It is centered around parks in the area, and at each park there are vendors selling food.  It's a fun place to stop if kiddos need a break to run around and play.

After riding the parkway, we went to dinner to finish celebrating.  I think Sam had a great day.  I know I did!

A Trip to the Beach

Last weekend, for Memorial Day weekend, we went to the beach with Jeff's parents.  We picked the boys up from school and headed straight to the beach.  We got there in time to go out to the sand and do some digging.  The boys could dig in the sand for hours if we let them. 

On Saturday we got up and the boys got a little more time at the beach before we headed out for a day of bike riding.  We took a picnic lunch and drove up to Fort Stevens State Park.  We had a nice lunch and then got on our bikes.  They have some great riding trails that wind through the park.  We stopped at a couple of places and let the boys run around and play.  They had lots of fun exploring two of the battery areas left over from both World Wars.  At one time they held munitions for the war and protected the coastline.  It was interesting to read up on the history of the area.

On Sunday morning we headed out to Neakahne Mountain to do a hike.  It was 2 miles up and back (4 total).  I was a little worried that Simon might get tired, but he did great and didn't need to get carried much at all.  We motivated him with snack stops about every 1/2 mile to keep him going.  At the top of the mountain is a beautiful view of the ocean and Manzanita Beach where we were staying.  As we headed back down the mountain we felt a few rain drops.  By the time we got back to the house, it was raining, so we stayed inside the rest of the day, watching a movie and playing games.

Monday morning Jeff got the two older boys up early to do some tide pooling at Haystack Rock.  The boys saw many neat things.  There were lots of starfish, sea anemones, a couple of hermit crabs and even a sea sponge.  They had a great time exploring.  Then we packed up the car, stopped and had breakfast and headed home.

Bloomsday and Hippie Chick 2014

The last two weekends I did two different races.  First was Bloomsday on May 4.  This is a 12K race in Spokane.  My family does it every year, so it has become a tradition.  Also, I enjoy it and it's a fun challenging race.  The rain held off, which was nice, and the sun even came out a bit during the race.  I was pleased with my time.  I bettered my personal best by about 2 minutes. 

Before the Start

The Line Up

Finish Line!

The second race was the Hippie Chick on May 10.  It's a half marathon.  I have been training for this since last December.  This was my 3rd year doing it.  The weather prediction was rain, but the rain held off until the afternoon, for which I was very thankful.  I will run in the rain if I have to, but I would much prefer not to!  Again, I set a personal best, beating last year's time by about 5 minutes. 

Just Before Leaving the House

Prepping the Start Line

My Cheering Squad

Finishing!

Catching my breath while getting hugs!

Done!

Daniel's Recital

Last Sunday was Daniel's spring piano recital.  He had been working on this song for about two months.  At first he thought it would be too difficult.  He learned one hand first, then the second hand and then put the two together.  He even had it memorized.  He did a wonderful job, and we are all so proud of him.  This is his last recital of the school year.  And his piano teacher is pregnant with her first baby, so she is going to take some time off next year.  That means that Daniel, and Sam too, will be taking lessons from a new teacher next year.  We have enjoyed his current teacher very much and are happy that Daniel was able to take from her for two years.  But now it's on to someone new. 

Getting Ready to Begin

Ready to Play

A Recital Pose

Sam & Simon Afterward