Mother's Day

Up until Trey was born, Randy and I had a tradition of going to Camp Sherman for Mother's Day weekend.  On Mother's Day, Randy would spend some time fishing and I would walk along the river and listen to a tape of my mom talking.  (When I was studying in Paris in 1994, my mom would make mini cassette tapes and send them to me.  We joked that it was her dream come true to be able to talk for an hour straight and not be interrupted.  Unfortunately, I recorded over most of them when I would make a tape to send back, and I only have one tape left.) It is pretty awesome to listen to her voice talking to me about Christmas preparations and regular daily life.  However, last year instead of listening to her tape, I went to our local coffee shop and wrote our birth story in my pregnancy journal and then spent the day with Randy and Trey.  This year, I went to Julie and Tim's for brunch and then spent the day with my boys in the gorge.  It definitely feels like Mother's Day has shifted from celebrating my mom to celebrating being a mom.  I guess that's the way it probably should be.

There are so many things about my mother that I want to remember and so many characteristics that I want to emulate.  I mostly want to be the kind of mother to Trey that mine was to Julie and me.  I want to build his sense of trust in me as a parent, respect to me as a woman, and self-confidence in himself so he can be a strong man.  I also want to be a good wife in a strong marriage as my parents were so Trey can be raised in a happy home filled with love.  I want to value and nurture my friends so that Trey sees how important it is to have good people in your life and what friendship adds to his life.  I want to practice kindness to others and do good deeds so that Trey learns you respect other people and treat others as you wish to be treated.

Trey and I have had a pretty awesome weekend together.  So awesome that we are both pretty exhausted.  On Saturday we hit the park and went to swimming lessons.  We came home and he discovered the water table that Randy had set up for him in the side yard.  He was in seventh heaven playing with this, and I was able to weed my strawberry patch.

Trey could play with this table for hours.

That, in fact, is my plan for the summer days. 

Naptime didn't go well, so I decided to take him to the store to buy a birthday present.  Of course, he promptly fell asleep and I didn't get to go to the store.  We came back and sat in front of the house parked in the shade, and I read in the front seat while he slept.  After naptime we went to Garland's 4th birthday party at the park.  Trey wasn't really interested in the party and just wanted to walk around the park, play on the play structure, and get in the fountain.  Sort of a bummer for me because I didn't get to visit with anyone at the party.

Lemonade!  Trey was in heaven! 

Trey could have done without me for the majority of the party. 

Happy Birthday, Garland! 

I can't believe he is four already!!! 

Cupcakes! 

First lemonade and now cupcakes??  Best day ever!!

After the party, Randy came home from fishing and we went to Adam and Jenny's for dinner.  We had a great meal with great drinks and great friends.  We are super lucky to have them back in Portland.

Trey hanging out in Adam and Jenny's backyard. 

For some reason his shorts and tennies make him look like such a little boy to me. 

Today, Mother's Day, Randy, Trey and I went to Julie and Tim's for brunch.  We enjoyed mimosas and delicious french toast and played outside in the nice weather.  After brunch, Randy, Trey and I drove out to the gorge for the day.  We went to Solstice in Bingen thanks to a recommendation from Kerry and had a great lunch.  After lunch, we went to Hood River and played in a park before stopping by Full Sail.  On the way back to Portland, we stopped at Multnomah Falls which was fun for Trey.  Overall, it was a full day with lots of sun, and I'm lucky that Trey went down without a fuss.   Below are some pictures from our fun day:

Trey has learned to say "cheese".  

He also holds the camera up to his face and says "cheese" which is pretty cute.  

My sister and our boys.  

I am so excited to raise our boys together, 

and I hope that Trey and Grady become best friends.  

Trey and Randy saying "cheers"

Lunch at Solstice

Playing in the park

Showing Trey Multnomah Falls for the first time 

I know this is out of order, but here are some other pictures from the last few weeks:

This might be my favorite Trey thing right now.  Randy has taught him how to growl when he makes a basket, and it might be the sweetest thing ever.  Love him SO MUCH.

Trey loves his swimming lessons.  We go every Saturday and he is happy as a clam the entire time he is in the pool.  He has already improved his ability to kick and jump in the water.  He is trying to figure out how to blow bubbles, but I don't think he knows exactly how to put his mouth in the water without getting his nose in too.  He practices some of these things in the bathtub which is pretty cute.

Last Saturday we took Trey to Sesame Street Live.  This was an early birthday gift to him from my dad and Sandy.  Watching him watch the characters up on stage was pretty cool.  I hope we can go again next year (if he still likes Sesame Street) because I think it will be even more fun for him.  

Happy boy!  

Bert getting down in his white suit 

Abby got really close to us as did some of the other characters.  

Sunday Trey and I met Mindy and Camille at the park.  It was a nice day out, and we enjoyed some park time before going out to lunch.  I don't know if Trey realizes he and Camille are friends yet, but after four weeks of swimming lessons together this summer and hopefully countless playdates, he soon will.

My dad and Sandy were in town on Sunday, so we went to Julie and Tim's to hang out for a while.  It's fun to see my dad with both the boys, and I can't wait for them to grow a little more so they can start doing some fun grandpa-grandson activities.

I am such a lucky mama.  Happy Mother's Day to all of my mama friends out there.  I couldn't make it through this journey we call motherhood without you!

Happy Birthday, Tango!

Tango turns 14 this month!  Randy commented this morning that Tango has been with him for over one third of Randy's life.  Randy got Tango when he was a puppy, and Tango has been his partner in crime ever since.  Tango is a great dog to have around.  In his old age, he has lost most of his hearing and isn't quite as active, but he still loves to be near wherever we are.  He especially loves us when we are eating food. 

Tango and his favorite frisbee

Tango is a dog who loves the outdoors...just like his master. 

Taking Tango on our fishing expeditions is great for me because he keeps me company while Randy fishes.  People ask all the time if Randy takes Trey fishing, but he can't because Tango jumps in the water and scares all the fish away. 

We were unsure of how Tango would do with Trey as a baby, but Tango has loved on him ever since he was born. Tango has especially loved Trey since Trey has started to eat real food. 

Tango loves running up the trail as fast as he can,

but he always turns around to make sure Randy is still in his line of vision.

In the good ol' days when we used to go hiking

Enjoying the snow...

not so much when it gets stuck in his paws

Lately, Tango has lost most of his appetite and doesn't seem to have as much energy. He's had a long life, and we are in denial about what this next year might bring.  Until then we are trying to be more patient with him and love on him more than usual.  We are lucky to have such a kind and sweet dog as Tango.  Happy Birthday, Tango!