Favorite kindergarten assignment

Gus has been using bubble maps for brain storming ideas about his writing... this is one of my favorites about his brother!

Clearwater Casino

I would say we wouldn't normally go to Suquamish for an over nighter... but we had a deal too good to be true.  Free hotel stay, free dinner and free gambling with no gimmick (yet, it was true).  We took them up on their offer and had an awesome time. 
We made an adventure of it... we took the train to downtown then walked to the Bainbridge ferry.  After our ferry ride the casino shuttle picked us up.  All of our connections were perfectly timed.

We are still scratching our heads as to how we got chosen for this fabulous deal.  The resort included beautiful grounds, indoor but open air pool with outdoor hot tub overlooking Agate Pass.  We spent a good deal of time in the pool and playing on the grassy lawn.    The dinner buffet was all you can eat seafood extravaganza.  We gorged on three varieties of crab legs, shrimp, salmon, crab cakes.  The boys were most excited about the dessert buffet.  Gus says he had 6 different desserts!  In the morning we had another breakfast buffet which was also included in our deal.  We were having a hard time spending any money this weekend!

Milo's 4th Birthday!

Milo celebrated his fourth birthday with two celebrations... a family dinner and one with his friends at a Star Wars Party.  The party featured some great characters such as Queen Amadila, Luke (in several versions), Princess Leia (in a couple of versions),  Darth Maul, Darth Vader, Ahsoka,  Han Solo (come on Hammer... you can do better than that) and of course the star of the show- Yoda!  Thanks to everyone who helped Milo celebrate his birthday!

Cinco de Mayo

The Cinco de Mayo Half Marathon out near Mt. Si happened to fall on the actual Cinco de Mayo.  Beck ran it again this year.  My time wasn't as good as last year when I went sub 2 hours (2 hours 3 minutes this year) but it still felt good to get those running shoes laced up and and enjoy the scenic beauty that surrounds Mt. Si along the Snoqualmie River.  Friends Michelle, Lori and Tracy also ran that day.

That evening was the big auction gala for Gus's school.  John and Beck danced the night away at an amazingly fun event!

Something is missing...

Gus lost his first tooth on May Day 2012

Milo's May Pole

Milo's preschool performed several songs for their proud parents and siblings at his May Pole festival this week...

Sol Duc Hot Springs April 2012

Spring Break: take two.  Two weeks after John's break was Gus's break.  The fam headed out to the peninsula for a few days for some natural hot springs.  Talk about relaxation!  The hikes were pretty awesome too.

Disneyland!

What a time it was! As a family we traveled to Disney Land for a Dad's Spring Break. The boys had a fabulous time. Milo really enjoyed meeting Mickey Mouse and Pluto. One of our favorite moments was in line waiting for Mickey when all of a sudden, Milo ran out of line and grabbed Mickey's leg and wouldn't let go! It was priceless! Gus enjoyed going on Star Tours which was a 3-D ride which was composed of many Star Wars adventures. Gus also enjoyed seeing Pluto walking on by.


We all got a little wet on the Big Splash Mountain Ride but had a very good time even though it was a bit scary at times. Dumpy and Grammie joined our family for the last two days and their grandsons were able to show them some of their favorite rides such as Star Tours, Astro Blasters, Dumbo, Thunder Mountain and of coarse Pirates of the Caribbean.
We had the opportunity to go play in the surf at Huntington Beach and Seal beach on a couple of down days between the craziness.

Cousins in Anaheim

Karr cousins decided on Disneyland for their spring break too. We spent an evening over nachos, pretzels and wine with the Karr fam. We decided that 8 and 10 year olds had a very different Disneyland agenda than 3 and 5 year olds so we didn't meet up in the park but were happy to have seen them while in Anaheim!

Beach Days between Disney Days

To prevent Disney overload, after two days at Disneyland we took a break from the theme park, rented a car and headed to Huntington Beach. The boys were in hog heaven digging in the sand and playing in the Pacific Ocean. The chilly water and cool breeze didn't stop the Ham fam from enjoying the vast beach and warm sunshine. Not to worry, we got two more full days of the happiest place on earth after our beach respite. Our final day in California was spent on Seal Beach with Grammy and Dumpie.

Waldorf boy

After several months of Waldorf preschool, Milo has really taken to the natural philosophy. He loves being outside regardless of the weather. On Thursday it was pouring rain with some hail mixed in. All Milo wanted to do was play outside, dig in the mud and look for worms. He loved it (and he was on his own). He was in the down pour for at least 45 minutes!

Crystal Mountain redux

Light, fluffy and white! The pow pow was stellar this past weekend at Crystal. One day was spent with feet in skis the next we were belly sliding down snow plow mountains. Lots of people demonstrated their best celebratory snow dancing. Alas, the snow continues to dump. Get up there while you still can!

wrestling boys

Show no mercy! All three boys look forward to WWF smackdown in our living room!

Quiet upstairs

The other morning the boys woke up. I heard them talking to one another but I could not hear what they were saying. I was downstairs waiting for them to appear, dressed for the day as usual. Several minutes passed by. It was quiet upstairs and the boys never came down. Perhaps they had fallen back asleep? Perhaps they were hiding? When I entered their room I found two loving brothers on the bed and Gus was reading to Milo. Priceless!

Still in her 30s

Beck had a perfect birthday weekend. The fam headed east to Wenatchee for a little celebration. As we went over both Snoqualmie and Blewett passes, the snow was falling and the winds were blustery. We knew the snow on Mission Ridge was accumulating to make for an awesome ski day. The hotel pool and hot tub were almost as much of a high light as skiing Mission Ridge. Beck skied with Gus on some more challenging blue runs for a big chunk of the day (while Milo and Hammer skied the limited green runs). Gus touched the wing of the bomber plane that crashed on the mountain back in 1944 for good luck right before he bombed down Bomber Bowl. He is quite a hot dog skiers these days. Milo skis with a leash to make sure he can stop but more importantly to prevent him from jumping off cliffs and tree skiing trails that he much prefers over the wide open green runs. He is pretty awesome at turning these days and much more of a parallel turn rather than a wedge.
Once we returned home, all the boys made my favorite meals of baby back ribs with yummy fixin's to go with them. The best part was the ski mountain lego cake complete with riblets, chair lift, skiers and snowboarders.

more skiing and Valentine's

More skiing for 2012... get that mileage in, boys!

This year Valentine's Day was a delight. Both boys really got into giving and receiving V-day cards to and from their school buddies. It was a fun day to reflect on those we love!