Memorial Day

We were invited to head up to Gig Harbor by Kyle's aunt, Dianne, this last weekend. We've graciously been extended that invitation over the years many times and can't get enough of the place. Thanks Dianne (or Dee-Dee as the boys would say)!! One of the best parts is the view you wake up to every morning...

We had some great family time just relaxing, laughing and playing together. We kept on the move most of the weekend with our two little guys in tow. We managed to fit a lot in:

Trips to the park to play baseball.

We checked out a little orienteering/safety festival in the town park where Collin got to see what it felt like to be "the bad guy".

My absolute favorite part was heading out on the kayaks. It was a treat for me. I've only been a few times but absolutely love kayaking. The boys did great and we even decided to do it a second time with them. Brody and I were followed by a curious baby seal that took a liking to us and following us through the harbor for a bit.

Kyle even got in a little extra by power washing the dock. And we were blessed by sunshine all weekend! We couldn't have asked for more!

T-Ball

We are in the middle of t-ball season at the Fischer household.

"Golden" Child

Once again, Collin unbelievably had another opportunity to grace the floor of the Rose Garden during a Blazer game. Idon't know what it is about my boys, they seem to find their way in the spotlight - but what can I say, i've got a household of handsome men on my hands. :)

As Kyle and Collin entered the Rose Garden for another Blazer game they were approached and asked to participate in a McDonald's tractor race between the second and third quarter. Collin soaked up the spotlight and sped off to win the race! We got McDonald's once a week FOR A YEAR!! (hmmm...yay?!)

Take a look...

Thank you Andrew for all the great pictures! I am so glad you had your camera that night!! Richard, you are so sweet to help us figure out the video piece!

Going Green

My friend, Karen, came up with a great idea to grow grass in the Easter baskets this year instead of using the plastic stuff. I loved the idea! During Spring Break the boys and I planted some vegetables and our Easter baskets for neices and nephews.

Before:

After:

They turned out pretty cute!

Teacher Tip from Mrs. Fischer

You can take me out of teaching but you just can't take the teacher out of me! I've been asked over the years by parents, little things to do on the side to help their child succeed in school. It's been on my mind for a while, so I am going to attempt to post on a regular basis some fun activities to add to your day that will help your child in various ways to grow. My expertise is in little guys. Keep in mind every child is at a different stage. These are activities that I've used, read or seen used through my time in the classroom. Most of these tips are to the credit of many of the amazing teachers I've had the opportunity to work with. Keep checking back!

Teacher Tip #1:

Don't' throw away those plastic Easter eggs and Easter egg grabbers after the holiday. Keep those eggs to float in a bathtub, sink of soapy water while you tidy the kitchen or nestle into a sandbox. Your child will work on building that eye hand coordination as well as fine motor development in those little fingers. This will aid them later in writing, drawing and cutting.

Have fun!

Collin's Big Surprise

Collin lost his first tooth while we were gone! Unfortunately, he ate it at school with his lunch. So when we returned from our trip we wrote a note to the tooth fairy (see below). "I lost 1 tof" .....translation....I lost one tooth.

Collin woke up the next morning and the first thing out of his mouth was, "Well, the tooth fairy didn't leave me a $100 but he did leave me $1." Wow, where has the time gone?!

Aloha

Aloha everyone! 10 years of marriage deserved a special celebration, we thought. We've been dreaming of this trip for years. So as I sit here and let my mind day dream back to the beaches and sunshine instead of cold rain, mahi mahi instead of PB & J and getting lost in my book instead of Go Diego Go (don't get me wrong, I LOVE my boys and I LOVE being a mom...but a trip to Hawaii with my man, bliss!) I share with you a bit of our trip in no order what so ever:

We spent the second night in Maui at a Luau. It was great fun ending with a fire and knife dancer. We ate food we've never dared dream of with it's many courses that went through the history of four islands. Here's a snap shot before and some of the interesting food we sampled.


Here is a view from our condo. It was newly remodelled and right on the water. The first time we closed our sliding glass door after we got there was when we walked out the door to go home. We fell asleep to the sound of the waves every night. We'd often have the pool and hot tub to ourselves where we took our late night soaks by the ocean's edge.
Kyle and I took on snorkeling for the first time together. We brought our own gear. We gleaned all we could from an older gentlemen that we watched snorkel early in the morning. He gave us all his tips, helped us defog and with his last push of words "it's all about confidence" we did it. It was amazing!! A whole other world just under the surface.

We did the infamous "Highway to Hana". If you haven't heard about it...it's quite an...adventure? One lane roads, sharp 90 degree turns where I was able to reach out and touch the rock out my door and a cliff down to the ocean graced the other side. We wound through a jungle like setting that displayed the most exotic and roughest side of Maui. We saw our lives flash before our eyes on multiple occasions but with Kyle's finer driving skills and our small jeep we maneuvered through the entire thing!! We're talking a 12 hour day! Here is one of our stops at a spring. It's hard to see but just under me is a whole perfectly clear pool of clear spring water.

We walked through a PITCH BLACK lava tube. Here is a picture as we just entered into the tube.

One of my favorite detours off the highway we made our way into a little town where we bought warm banana bread that we ate along side this cove. It had raw lava rock that had oozed in the ocean and made an amazing display when the waves smashed against it. Kyle made it his mission to make it to the top.

We ran into serious wind and some rain the first few days we got there. Can you see the rainbow in the picture???? The first couple days we drove to the south beaches to escape some of the wind and get a bit warmer weather. By the end of the week we had seen a big portion of the island.

I don't know if it was the jeep, relaxed Hawaiian culture but Kyle got pretty comfortable using that "hang loose" sign.

A picture from one of our dinners out in Lahaina.

Notice the palm tree...that is the wind I was talking about!!

We fell in love with this restaurant called the Plantation House. The food was good but the view was amazing! It overlooked a golf course and the coastline on the west side. So pretty!!

It was the longest I had ever been away from the boys for the trip. My mom took a good portion of the time and Kyle's mom took over on the weekend. They did great and were spoiled while we were gone. Kyle often leaves us cards when he goes on trips and little things for the boys. So, taking my cues from him, I set up a little package for each night. It had little cards for the boys, a little Hershey kiss and hug along with a book. Kyle and I split the books up and took video of ourselves reading the boys a bedtime story for each night we were gone. It was a big hit. Unfortunately for our moms they watched them multiple times.