Happy 7th Birthday, Liam!

So the last couple of days have been chaotic, but Liam has enjoyed them tremendously. We decided we weren't going to do a "party" and were just going to take Liam and his friend to a fun place to play and have lunch and cake. Friday, Phil stayed home and we surprised Liam by taking him on a loooong ride (supposedly to Costco). We made a stop at a warehouse (a place called Out of This World) that I said I wanted to check out. As we walked in, it was this HUGE room with 2 bounce areas, the biggest indoor climbing/sled set I've ever seen, a "track" to use with little kinetic scooters, and a good-sized play area for the younger set. They even had a rock-climbing wall and leather couches for the parents to sit in! Tables and chairs for eating (they serve pizza and salads)...

He wanted to know why they were stamping our hand, and I told him that to check it out (because OF COURSE we weren't staying) we had to have the stamps. We walked in, and he saw a table with a present that said "Liam"...I told him there must have been another boy with the same name around. Then he saw his best friend Hunter and this hysterical look of absolute confusion came across his face..."Hunter?! What are you doing here?"...

Liam, Hunter and Carter (Hunter's brother) played like mad for an hour or so (as did Ceana), then we all had pizza for lunch. More playing followed that, then cake. Then he got to open his birthday gift from them (a magic kit!), then more playing. Then ice-cream and t-shirts for the kids before we left. The kids had an absolute blast - it's certainly a place we will go back to. In fact, I think we'll end up buying a membership. It was great that Ceana had a ton of places to play as well...rare in those kinds of places. They're either geared for big kids or little kids, but rarely both. Anyway, Ceana fell asleep within 3 miles (she was wiped!), and Liam came home a played some more.

Yesterday, he got to pick what he wanted for breakfast (in the final outcome of the battle between going out to eat and having cinnamon buns, the buns won). Then he opened gifts and played for a while before I told him we had to go. Hunter's birthday party was yesterday, along with 2 of his other friends - so Liam went to that. He had fun, but he got a little upset when people kept referring to the "birthday boys" and he wasn't included. Some Star Wars characters showed up, which was pretty cool. Liam loved it, though he wanted to know if he could ever have them at his birthday...I had to explain to him that we just cannot afford that kind of thing, which kind of bummed him out.

Anyway, he had a pretty good time with both days. He got some great gifts, without getting too much. Walkie-talkies were among the highlights, though he also got a zoo membership, VIP tickets to an outdoor lacrosse playoff game (that include a clinic with players before the game and a meet-and-greet after the game), and a really cool remote-control car to replace the one he has beat all to hell.

While I forgot to take my camera (I knew I would forget something), I had my cell phone and was able to take some pics of the kids and the cool place. I also got some photos of Liam with the Star Wars characters from Hunter's mom, so I'll post those as well. Enjoy!

He's the BEST!

Saturday Fountain Fun

Gotta love our local Farmer's Market - terrific food from local sources, some great wine from local sources, and places for the kids to play. For example, there is a fountain that they turn on when it gets warm outside. Water shoots in 3 lines about 12 feet long...

After our shopping excursion, we took Ceana over to look at the water and to watch her reaction to it. She wasn't that thrilled with the whole thing, so I wasn't too worried...particularly as she wasn't dressed for water...Well, that turned into an hour-long water-fest! Phil had to run to Fred Meyer for diapers and a couple of towels (that are now STAYING in the car!) just so we could get the kids home without Ceana's diaper weighing 500 pounds or their car seats being soaked!

I took a few pictures - they're not the best because they came off my cell (again - unanticipated fountain fun). Enjoy!

Fourth of July (and some random) Photos

Welcome Back!

OK, so -you're all observant people. I'm sure you noticed that this is NOT the same site that we were just using. It was just...too much. As you've probably also noticed, this is the blog site that we used for quite some time - up until the point that I wasn't able to do so on the old computer because it didn't work with their new system. So, now that I can use it again....here we are! The web address (www.thecummingsclan.net) remains the same.

I have some pictures to post from the 4th of July weekend. We went down to mom's - my Mamaw was up from California. She hadn't seen Liam since he was 8 months old and had never seen Ceana, so we drove down to visit. It was really nice - we also saw Grandma and Grandpa Pullen and went to visit him on his birthday, and Jesse and Sara were able to come up as well. Once I get the pictures off the camera, I'll post 'em for all to see.

My birthday yesterday was mellow, but nice. Phil started the day off perfectly by surprising me with a rose on the table when I got up. Mike and Tracy (the neighbors) stopped by with a bunch of balloons (that Ceana immediately appropriated) and a beautiful climbing...something. Gorgeous flowers, anyway. I'm looking forward to planting it! I got my first amazon.com gift certificate to put towards my Kindle from mom...THANK YOU! Phil took Liam shopping and they brought home a cake and a book that I had been eye-balling from the kids...

Well, I'm going to post this now. I'm afraid that you serial lurkers (mom...) will see the new blog and freak out, thinking that there is a problem somewhere. So - no problem. Enjoy!