Father's Day Pictures

the bubs & daddy

the family

the bubs & papa

{first day of summer}

 I had an awesome first day of summer. First of all, the sun finally showed up. We hit over 80 degrees here in the great Northwest, and it felt fantastic! Mommy got to sleep in (thank you daddy!) and then we went to my parents house to visit my grandparents who were in town on their way back from North Dakota. The boys were so happy to see great grandma! We played in the backyard at my parents' house with my sister, brother-in-law and nephew.  It was really nice.

Here's Logan chilling in his chair from Grandma Carol.

After a morning spent playing with family, I brought the boys home for naps & Josh took off to hang out with his brother.  When the boys woke up from naps we met my mom and sister (& Ferris) for a power walk on the waterfront. It was gorgeous and the company was awesome, so I had a great time. They boys were really good, so after our walk we went to the park so they could run around.

For their birthday my mom got them these trikes, and they love them!

They kept running over to get a drink it was so HOT!

We had snack at the park.

Logan

Mommy's bubs

Logan likes his trike, but hasn't mastered the pedals yet. 

He looked cool anyway with his awesome sunglasses on!

Jack has figured out the pedals, both front and backwards, and is quite proud of this accomplishment. What a cutie!

Cool Logan in the swing!

And a happy Jack also swinging.

I swear the boys can feel the difference in me. I can see it in them. Logan, who is always my barometer, is calm and sweet and giving me lots of hugs and snuggles and is generally far more low-key than is normal for him. Jack is just a bundle of joy. Less tantrums and less cranky-ness in general. And I am so glad. I am happy to spend time with my happy boys, to laugh and chase and spend moments just "being" with them. Nothing else on the agenda. It was an awesome start to what I know will be an awesome summer!

two days...

Two days left...

Two days and I get to spend the summer,

home with my boys.

Up until this very moment, I couldn't even think about it.

I couldn't face starting the summer without knowing whether or not I was going to be home in the fall. Then something just clicked. (My guess? God made it click.)

It's been a long road.  One that started years ago in 2005. I graduated with my bachelors degree and Josh started at Clark with the intention of getting his transfer degree. In October of 2006 he was hit by a drunk driver on the way home from class. He was hospitalized, not given his anti-seizure medication and had a grand mal seizure.  He suffered severe back pain, memory loss and an inability to stay awake. He had to drop his classes, wait two quarters to get off of financial aid probation and start over again.

In October of 2007 we got pregnant. In January of 2008 we found out I was carrying twins. In March of 2008 I was put on bedrest due to gallstones.  In June 2008 Josh was accepted into the teaching program at WSU-V; I gave birth to our beautiful boys; Josh graduated from Clark and started the teaching program when the boys were 12 days old.

Fast forward to June 2010 and we have two 2-year-olds; Josh has graduated and is applying for jobs; and I am just plugging away, day after day, at work.  Crying some days and shutting off the emotions on the other days.  And it has been the single hardest thing I have ever had to do.  To consciously walk away from the boys every morning, knowing that I would give anything to be home with them.  But also knowing that this was my bargain. Let Josh finish school.

And now he's done. And still we wait. Still I have no security that I will be able to stay home in the fall.  And instead of freaking out (like I have been) I am just trusting that God has a plan for my life.

Because I have wasted enough time worrying.  I have wasted enough days crying.  

As of today, I am happy to spend any day (no matter how many or how few) with my boys. If it is one moment of laughter, or a day full of laughter- I will take the laughter. I will bask in it, enjoy it. Because today is truly all I have. And if I waste this time worrying for what's next, I am missing my life.

I am missing their life.

And that just won't do.

{happy fathers day}

 to the best bunch of dads around...

To Josh:

Who is the best daddy a set of twins could ever ask for...

To Papa Barry:

Who is always willing to lend a hand or come hang out,

 

and who always cracks us up!

To Papa Carl:

Who raised our daddy to be such an awesome daddy himself!

And to Great Grandpa Jerry:

Who lets us play with all the no-no's at great grandma's house!

We love all of you,

and wish you a wonderful

fathers day.

With love,

Jack & Logan

sleep?

Just wanted to let you know I am still alive.

Sleep deprived...

Swollen & in pain from a bad cavity filling...

waiting (waiting!) for school to let out...

and wishing the sunshine would come.

But more than anything else, 

I am exhausted.

Delirious.

Like, can't-even-follow-a-conversation,

or finish a sentence.

So I am going to bed.

And I pray that I won't hear
"Knock. Knock."

"Mommy, where are you?"

At one'o'clock in the morning.

Please?!?

{a day at the beach}

 Long Beach, Washington

We knew this weekend was going to be sunny, so a day trip to the beach was planned. We arrived mid afternoon in Long Beach, loaded the boys up in the wagon (which they are still getting used to) and walked up and down the strip.

{Logan}

The wagon was great on the beach, but it's got close quarters for the boys, with no way to keep them from hitting or kicking each other, or stealing sippy cups.

{Jack}

All of which Jack did. He was kind of feisty until we got to the actual beach.

{Logan}

{Jack}

{Daddy & Logan}

He carried that log all around!

{the pilot}

Look at the weather--

unbelievable!

this is what {joy} looks like

And because everyone always posts pictures of their adorable toenails-painted-red toes-in-the-sand shots, I thought I would share the Northwesterner's version of this. 

The boys are such total hams, they were showing off BIG TIME for the people next to us. While showing off his impressive digging skills with his huge shovel, Jack got some sand to the face, courtesy of himself. We were cracking up!

After digging in the sand, carrying logs & running about joyfully, we fed the birds.

Unlike my mom, the boys have not seen The Birds yet, and are therefore not terrified by large groupings of seagulls pecking at them for the bread they hold. In fact, they were quite enthralled by the whole experience!

Josh captured this bread mid-flight from Logan's hand. Kind of cool!

Daddy, boy, wagon & beach

{Jack}

We really wore them out!

{Logan}
I love how his chubby hand is holding his bub so gently.

It was a lot of work to take them to the beach, especially since it was just for the day, but when I looked back and saw this; my two beautiful boys, dreaming of all the fun they had in the sand with the sunshine smiling down on us, I know it's worth all the effort. When I turned around to take this picture I told Josh that sometimes I can't believe they are ours. Forever. We get to keep them.  And we're so glad.

{things that make me laugh}

• People falling down the stairs 
• "More cowbell"
• My mom
• Stand up comedy
• My sister
• The new country song "Pray for You" by Jaron & the Long Road to Love
• SNL
• America's Funniest Home Videos
• When the boys do things I do (like shaking the towels before folding them)
• Josh
• The Cunningham's in general
• Things my students say at work (like, "Beavers give hugs")

{bathrobes}

{Logan}

{Jack}

My mom made these adorable coordinating bathrobes for the boys for their birthday. They loved getting out of the bath tub into them tonight. They look like little men... or maybe little Jedi's. Ha!

Logan

Jack