Minus the yelling part at the end (of course), I feel like this sums things up pretty well.

That East Coast Vibe

Bad updater. Bad multitasker. Bad stay-in-the-moment Mom. I've been remiss in many aspects of life over the last several months as our family prepares to undergo (we hope!) another transition. Most of you know that we are probably (we hope!) moving back to the left side of the country this summer and I seem to have forgotten to keep up with lots of other things as I juggle these imminent and approaching curve balls. I'm sorry to you, blog readers (if there are any left!) and I'm especially sorry to my little monkeys (the irony isn't lost on me that I have to say no, I can't play/help your work out your fight/feed you right now because I need to find a school for you to go to. They think that trade off is cool, right? Ah, notsomuch) for being a little absent in the mental department. In the midst of the chaos, we have had some glorious weather, some super duper fun visitors come (thank you!), and some fun times with dear friends in the Emerald City (that's Seattle, in case you didn't know and happened to think our nickname was the Rain Soaked City or the Super Drenched City. Those are all lies, though! Lies!). And you have ended up, dear blog, right at the bottom of the heap. It don't feel none too good but heck, show me someone who keeps every ball in the air and I'll show you someone... with a very devoted follower of one. Me.

I could moan and groan some more but I've beat myself up about not soaking up these moments enough that I'll just gracefully move on to the sunshine and rainbows portion of the evening. Here's what we have been doing:

Scooting. 

and some organized activities like T-ball

And, of course, there is the time honored tradition of tagging along at the T-ball practice. This is Jack with one of our favorite little persons and Jack's future wife.

There has been some hiking with the lady

and with the man.

and the've been on slug patrol.

There's been sprinklering (and slip 'n sliding due to our incredibly warm and dry spring)

with a wonderful sojourn to Florida in there to play a little golf and swim and swim and swim

And hang out with the cousins!

We've been celebrating birthdays (hockey socks are a one way ticket to crazy town)

with friends.

  

Someone has been dressing up and asking mom to take pictures. You know, just because.

There has been more finding some more small spaces to hide out in

and finally enjoying outside feasts again.

While this may be a lame, quick recap of the past few months (minus the recent Gerbi cousin and aunt and uncle visit), my mind has been a million places and for a committed non-phone-communicator, I've been on the phone too much. The next six weeks promise to be nuts but I also publicly pledge to return to living in the moment for at least thirty minutes a day and to remove the damn phone/computer/iPad from my grasp for at least two minutes every hour and to look around and actually enjoy our last several weeks here. I can't even begin to process leaving Seattle so instead, I'm looking forward only to heading east. This is a very, very bittersweet departure. I have loved it here and I'm leaving behind an amazing community of family and friends who I will miss very, very much. I am, of course, also looking forward to moving back to family and friends who I have missed very, very much for four years. So, the processing will come later and for now, I just look forward to the return and the new adventures that life will impart on us in this phase. While I have learned that, *gasp*, that I enjoy change, I am really enjoying the idea of settling back in with the good people of the eastern seaboard. 

Oh Mama

Happy mother's day. Thank you to these two, most of all. Motherhood brings unimaginable joy and without these crazy monkeys, I wouldn't fully understand what gives life depth and meaning and all the topsy turvy in between. We are blessed to have mothers, to be mothers, and to know mothers. I am thinking of my own mom half way around the world today, my mother-in-law across the country and all the the mamas in between. Thanks moms.