After finally getting some warm days I didn't mend that it was a little colder yesterday. We used the day to make muffins, cuddle on the couch and watch too much TV. And with Tony away it was pancakes for dinner.

You're never too old for a doggie pancake with chocolate chip eyes.

Signs of summer

Some sure signs that summer is finally approaching:

Eating burgers in the backyard with nothing but your swim shorts on.

A new pool and it's warm enough to go in.

This last one if my favorite and it's hard to describe unless you've had a little boy yourself. It's the warm smell of a little boy's head after they've played in the sun - a mixture of dirt, sweat, sunshine, and little boy smell. Girls don't have it like boys do and they don't have it forever - I think Coop and Hudson have lost it. Today I spent just a few minutes sitting in this chair with Tag, my face buried in his hair. I think it's my favorite smell ever. I wish I could bottle it up to remember when it's gone.

In an earlier post I raved about a particular caramel sauce that we are all indulging in lately, but I just realized that I forgot to say what kind it was. Here it is if anybody feels like indulging with us. Purchased at SuperStore. Yummm! I think I'll go have some right now.

Track meet

Cooper's first ever track meet today. He did great and had a lot of fun. Came away with two ribbons - 3rd in 100 metre and 4th in hurdles.

Bubbles and a new favorite

At the end of our beautiful sunny warm long weekend the rain came again on Monday. But a new bottle of bubbles was enough to get them back outside. We hung out on the front porch under the roof and blew bubbles into the rain.

Good fun until Taggart spilled all his bubbles onto the sidewalk.

Then I told him that we have more and I could give him a refill. Yahoo!

And finally, something I just have to share. This is heaven in a jar - hard to believe that something could really be this good and cost only $2.99 but it's true. The best caramel sauce I've ever tasted and I've tried a few. My favorite way to eat it: on a spoon but pairing it with an apple seems to justify it a little more. If you love caramel or even if you don't - a must try! :)

I am also really loving little white dishes lately. The little fluted ramekins are from a great little kitchen shop in Fort Langley and the little tiny bowls are from Ikea. It's fun to present snacks to the kids in these little dishes and they all get a kick out of it. It's all about celebrating the everyday - which is really what this blog originally was intended for. Making the little things special. I would love to start scouring antique stores or garage sales and finding more 'white-ware'. Maybe someday I'll have time for that. :)

Friday was Reagan's year-end Kindergarten field trip. We went to the zoo. She was so excited for this day and the fact that I was going along. My neighbor, Jackie, offered to take Taggart so I could go. We had a really fun day. The weather has finally turned and we had a beautiful 28* sunny day.

The weather continues yesterday when Mary and the kids came out for the day. It seemed a long time since we had seen them all so it was a nice visit as it always is. The kids did the slip-n-slide, the pool, the tramp with water, and I think completely tuckered themselves out. Hudson slept utnil 8:30 this morning - completely unheard of.

I love this picture of the three boys all reading magazines in the background.

Today it is again beautiful and sunny. I am heading out shopping with Christine to find something to wear to Lyndon and Erin's wedding which is in 3 weeks. Tony gets to spend some quality time with the kids.

Hope all of the Mom's had a great day yesterday. I was treated very well by Tony and the kids. They all brought me their presents that they had made at school in bed in the morning. I always love the little hand-written notes and cards that they make.

Tony took care of breakfast for all of us and later treated his Mum and I to a dinner that he cooked (with only a teensy bit of help).

We spent the day just sort of hanging out and doing a lot of nothing. Hudson had been grounded from 'screens' for the weekend but I decided to let him off one day early. So they played some RockBand and such.

Reagan and I did a little sewing. I found this cute apron on Etsy and thought: 'we can make that'. So on Friday we headed back to the quilt shop that we had got the fabric for her headbands and she picked out some fabric for this. I think it turned out so cute and she was so happy with it. it holds crayons

Having a bit of fun with my sewing machine these days - I'm definitely entertaining the thought of trying my hand at a quilt - just a little one. We'll see.

Today I made my first trip to the garden center. Tag and I went this morning and bought some seeds to grow lettuce in some planter boxes on my deck. And while there, I couldn't leave without just a few flowers. Tag helped me plant them this afternoon.

While outside we heard the familiar bells of the ice cream truck. I told him right away 'not today'. I knew I had no cash and I don't want him to think that he'll get one every time he hears it. But it was just his luck that Nana walked outside, purse in hand, ready to go out when the truck drove by.

The other three were not too impressed when they heard of this later. But Nana promised to even things out another day. That's what happens when they all scatter all over the neighborhood after school and leave Tag alone at home. He should get something for being the smallest.

Sorry - I did say that I would try to even out my posts to include photos of all my kids, didn't I? But what can I do - this little guy is just always with me.

Too much Tag??

I was informed by Reagan today that I take way more pictures of Tag than anyone else. Whoops!
She's probably right so I am going to make an effort to turn the lens on my oldest three a little more often. But before I do let me get these in of tonight.

Tag primping in the mirror...too funny.

Mother's Day Tea

This morning I attended my fifth preschool Mother's Day Tea. Because the school and the teachers are the same the format of the morning tends to be the same. But it is such a special and cute time. I don't think I've ever gotten through one without a few tears.

Today was no exception. Something about these little 3 and 4 year-olds saying sweet and funny things about their Moms that chokes me up.

It started with Tag greeting me at the door and then leading me to a seat at one of the tables. He even pulled the chair out for me. I'd like to think it was because he is a natural gentleman, but it was probably something he was told to do. Then we were entertained by a few songs about Mommies. Then he brought me a shoe (an old one of mine that I was asked to bring in a week before) with a flower planted in it, and a sweet card he had made me. (Love that smirk)

Then the teacher read out the answers that the kids had given her on a previous day to the prompt "My mom is special because..."

Tag's answer (word for word): you make me breakfast like cereal, but you don't buy Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Frosted Flakes! I don't get that! You let me play with Nana downstairs. But you let me go somewhere really special on my birthday, like Castle Fun Park."

I love the "I don't get that". Cereal and the kinds we have and don't have has been quite an issue around here lately and obviously he took that to school with him. The teacher came to me after and told me about when he was talking to her about it. She said he really thought about it for a long while and that he just couldn't figure out why I wouldn't buy him the cereal he wanted. He's just so funny. When you ask him anything, you never get a quick, straight answer. You might as well pull up a chair and make yourself comfortable because you are in for an earful.

Then I was treated to a pedicure. He was so meticulous in his application that everyone was already on to eating snack and he was still on his first foot. Everytime he got any on my skin he had to get a kleenex and wipe it off - so cute.

We finally got to the snack and he served me mine while I let me nails dry. He really enjoyed snack. It is such a fun morning to spend with my preschooler. I've done it five times now and next year will be my last. A sure guarantee of a few more tears.

Oreos and Hudson

Hudson is definitely a middle child. He is going through a tough time right now...taking everything so hard and trying to find his place in this family. Lots of tears, so Friday after school when he seemed to be in one of his moods I asked him to come and have a snack (Oreos and milk, his favorite). He saw a picture on the Oreo box of a dessert and he thought that he would like to try it. So we decided that it would be fun to make a special dessert for everyone just for no reason at all.

We made little Oreo ice cream pies. He pressed the Oreo crumbs into all the little dishes for the crust and then crushed up some cookies to mix into the vanilla icecream. Then we topped each one with some caramel sauce and half a cookie.

They were a big hit with everyone after dinner when Hudson served each one their's. Little things like this, where Hudson is the hero, are so huge for him. So glad we could make that happen the way it did.

"Thank you Hudson, I love it." The look on Hudson's face says it all.