Rain, Rain, and more Rain

Did I mention flash floods?? Are we in Washington State? So I'm not sure if all the rain we have been receiving is typical for this time of year but I can say that we have had more flash flood warnings here in 2 months than my 30 years in California. Last week it rained for about 4 days straight. This week we are on day 2 of rain with more to come. The rain typically comes with lighting and thunder. If the storm is close, the thunder will wake you up at night. The lightning is so bright you can usually see it during the day. I saw on the news last week that ping pong size hail were spotted near by. All the while it's a nice 74 degrees out! Here are some pictures on what happens when the little boys open the slider on a rainy day....

As you can see from the picture, no pants or shorts. Just a diaper and a shirt. On this day I appreciated being in a town where no one knows us!! So here's to more rain...........and all the puddles it will leave behind. Puddles, for boys, equal an uncontrollable urge to jump in them no matter how many times your mom says "Your going to soak your shoes and pants".

Almost Two

Yes, I can't believe it. The boys turned 2!!!! Up until a week ago (yes, after his B-Day) Ralph was telling everyone he was "Almost Two". Now he finally says "I two, not almost two". The boys had a great birthday. Tapa and Grandma (pronounced Ga-ma) were here to celebrate with us. We took the boys to the Strong Museum and then to dinner. We did cupcakes and ice cream when we got home. The boys thought the candles were sooooo cool!! We dimmed the lights and sang Happy B-Day to them. Their little faces lit up with excitement! We had opened up presents earlier that morning and they made out like bandits. The hit was Chumash Casino necklaces that Josh's mom got for free while at the casino one night. They look like Marti Gras beads. The boys try to wear them everywhere. In stores, in their carseats, running around the house buck naked, in their high chairs, to the pool. They got more presents than normal since we just moved here and had to part or store with their toys from home. We are enjoying the new milestone. We love watching their independence and hearing their vocabulary grow everyday. We are singing the ABC's (missing quite a few letters still) and counting now. Grandma stayed for about 5 days so the boys enjoyed having someone to play with. So here are some other things we have been up to:
-Took the boys to an airshow. They love airplanes and helicopters! I had never experienced fighter jets flying low and will be prepared with earplugs next time!
-Parks!! Our favorite is one with a trout hatchery. The park has several large concrete pools with different types of trout in different stages of growth. You can buy fish food and feed them. Ralph tried to jump in while yelling "I swim, I swim".
-Josh's cousin's wife June (got that) was here and we met for lunch. June and her husband Nick don't have kids and probably never will after lunch. It has been almost 3 years since we have saw her and had lots to catch up on.
-Swimming in our apartment complex pool. We got almost every day and the boys are obsessed! They love to swim and play with the other toddlers there.

So that's the latest.. I promise I won't let another month go by with out an update!