WHAT A CITY !!

I opened the Seattle Times this week and was thrilled to find in it a comprehensive summer activities guide. This weekend we had about 10 activity choices ( as we do for every week for the next 4 months), we chose a Street Fair in the U district. It was so much fun. Apart from all the cool vendors, awesome food, and being surrounded by funky students we saw a group of students performing capoeira , knife juggling, & folk music.

It was a Saturday well spent.

Of course when you have children no incredible amount of amazing food can tear you away from the draw of a Mc Donalds PLAY LAND. So after the fair we headed to our Local Hot Spot the Mickey D's on the corner ( this is one of the only ones with a play place, most of the mc donalds around here are way too nice for kids, seriously they are like really posh coffee houses). We were enjoying the chit chat between friendly strangers ( are you ever really a stranger in a mc donalds play land?) when Angelo announced that I, his caucasion wife was the minority. Sure enough not another pale face in the bunch. So we all began talking about where we were from:

** mother and son: India

**two mothers with a couple of kids a piece: Mexico

**mother, father & children: Iran

and a large Korean family was leaving when we got there

As I reflected on this emense cultural diversity, I was overjoyed that my children are being exposed to diverse thoughts & cultures. Then I started to put all the past weeks public experiences together.

Here are some of the comments we have had from strangers (all comments have been made with warm smiles, not a judgemental glares in the bunch):

" these are all your children" yes is my reply " they are so well behaved"

" every one of your children should be models They ARe BeauTiful"

" are you done having kids...don't you think you should have at least one more" ( no joke she was 100% serious, she really wanted me to have more kids)

I guess what I am learning is that when you live in a place that is so diverse people repect each others differences. I am sure that none of those people even dreamed of having 4 children, but they were extremely repectful & awed at my decision.

I guess what I am saying is I am suprised to find MORE

TOLERANCE

for our decision to have a big family in Washington then in the heart of LDS community.

I really enjoy the laid back & relaxed nature of my new town !

Thirty.........holy smokes

HAPPY 30HAPPY 30HAPPY 30HAPPY 30HAPPY 30HAPPY 30HAPPY 30

Happy Birthday

to:

the greatest husband, father, & man I know

for breakfast pinto, eggs, with a little you are getting soooo old humor on the side

HOLY SMOKES ( as Liam would say)

The best cake EVER

He had a great Birthday

For dinner we went to the Central Market had fresh sandwiches & salads, and ate outside in the BEAUTIFUL 70 degree weather.

HAPPY 30 HAPPY 30 HAPPY 30 HAPPY 30 HAPPY 30 HAPPY 30 HAPPY 30

***note from the author***

the car ride conversation on the way home from the market sounded something like this

......i am so glad we don't have anything to celebrate for awhile

.....good we don't have anymore birthdays until September

.......i think i am done with parties

we love a good party but come on........i think we are all partied out

an eclectic post

Tea party

attendees: Miss Business (Emeline)

Mr. Two Coins ( Liam)

Mr. Chummy ( Jaxson)

The boyz chose their own names & then decided to call Emeline Miss Business. It was very funny to watch the boyz try to play tea party with her, you could see everything in them wanted to push the table to the side and declare WAR. They resisted their animalistic urges and played along with Miss Business like the gentlemen their names entailed. The effort was definitely appreciated.

a big thanks to grandma for the table, table cloth, napkins, & all

********* PART II **********

I gave the boyz haircuts this AM and I guess I lost track of the scissors for .05 seconds and my little princess cut her hair

I wonder what the braid is hiding?

she cut about 4" off the side

I knew it had to happen, I am just looking forward to it growing back.........what a mess!

****PART III ****

THE BACKYARD

It's not huge but it is beautiful ! It is landscaped beautifully & doesn't require watering ( we do live in Seattle)

****** PART IV*****

MY Birthday WISH

HERE I am about to wish for a bike

Here she is, isn't she a beauty!

Angelo promises to pimp her out soon( imagine a basket on the front and a book carrier on the back).

Who knew wishes could be answered so quickly!!

THANK YOU again my love

I've spent the last couple of days riding through the neighborhood, yesterday I had the Boss ( Chaucers new nick name) in a snugly on my back, and Emme sitting on the bar between my legs. We had so much fun, maybe today I will hook up the bike trailer for Emme & we can go further.

A Mothers Day Resolution

Today, as some of you know is not only Mothers Day but my Birthday as well.

I was met this morning with lots of fun dollar store presents & A BIKE !!

HOORAY

I spent all day yesterday looking for bike trails & hoping a bike might come my way!

THANK YOU Angelo & my mother for granting my wish

Now I would like to touch on a subject that has confused me for as long as I have been a mother. On my first Mothers Day as a mother I heard one of the women I admire comment that she like most MOTHERs hated mothers day.

I was as I am now utterly bewildered.

WHY?

I love that the entire country still sets aside one whole day to honor what I and others like me do ( I have never heard of writer day, executive day, or taxi driver day for that matter). I look at this day as a commentary on our country, we still honor women who choose to have children. I have heard women say they hear all these amazing stories of mothers and it makes them feel unequal. So, I have decided for me Mothers Day is going to be like a Mothering New Year.

It will from hence forth be the HAPPY MORNING of a new day !

A day where I can change things & make resolutions to be the kind of mother that talks in church are written about. I invite all of you Mothers reading to join me. Listen to the talks in church and instead of feeling unequal, decide what you can do, what you heard that maybe you can implement. I really believe if the whole country is going to celebrate us, the least we can do is give ourselves a break & a chance to be who we WANT to be.

With that I wish all of you a

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

I am sure you are at least 10 times the mother you think you are