The Pittman Family Blog: June 2016

little athletes

If you are wondering why this blog has not been updated in months....it's because I've been at sporting events! Blake is playing baseball (kid pitch, wow.) and flag football.

These pictures are from a warm up, the first thing Blake said when he saw them is "why is there a ball behind me?". He didn't drop it!

We traded up for a new coach!

Lauren is doing gymnastics and swim team. She really, really, really wanted to join the swim team like her big cousin, Gage. I tried to talk her out of it multiple times but she was all IN! Lauren has loved going to practice, she's perfectly happy jumping in the water when it's 60 degrees out. Yesterday she had time trials and we arrived early for the big day. I've learned that swim team is a lot of waiting for a little bit of swimming. Lauren had warm ups and then an hour until her first event. I could sense she was getting more nervous by the minute and when the big moment arrived she was in tears. I gave her a pep talk (which helped a little) and her coach saw that she was upset and came over to give her a pep talk too (which helped a lot). Lauren conquered her fears, jumped in and when she arrived at the other side of the pool she couldn't wait for her next event. She said "Mom, I don't have butterflies any more". After another hour of waiting Lauren swam the backstroke and rocked it, she was faster than quite a few of the 8 year olds in her heat! So, I guess were swim team people now.

freestyle

Lauren had five layers of blankets and towels, sitting in 60 degree while soggy is no fun.

backstroke

LJP

Honeybee Graduation

Lauren graduated from The Children's Garden this last week. Alison, Georgia, Chad, Blake and I were there to cheer her on!

Bonnie, who delayed a trip to France to be at graduation, set up a little tribute to my mom. It meant so much to have her there, along with a few other dear friends of my mom's.

Click here to see Lauren's big moment! Honeybee Graduation

Last Day at The Children's Garden

Lauren had her last day at the Children's Garden this last week. Lauren has loved every single minute of her time there and she says she'll come back to be a teacher someday (or be the school nurse). For me, it has been such a gift to be able to give my kids a little part of something my mom loved so much.

Some mommies printed colorful signs for their kids to hold to mark the day. Lauren made her own sign (she is way more organized than her mother!).

I sat in the parking lot for a couple of minutes after I dropped Lauren off, thinking about my mom and how much she would have loved all of this. As I drove away I saw these deer near the tree that was planted in her honor almost 20 years ago.

Children's Garden Sleepover

I cannot believe Lauren had her Garden sleepover. I could swear Blake was just there. It was definitely one of those milestones that made me take stock of how fast time is flying by. Lauren has looked forward to the sleepover for years and it did not disappoint. We got there early to be sure she could sleep next to Teacher Cara and Ava. They had a spaghetti dinner, treasure hunt, smores, campfire, a movie and a tiny bit of sleep. They next day they finished off the activities with a giant water fight.

Lake Washington 2016

We didn't take the boat out of storage last summer so my boating family was pretty happy to be back out on the water,.

My captain back in action.

They both got in, one quickly and one more slowly...

Happy Sixth Birthday, Lauren!

Lauren, happy birthday my girl! I love watching you grow, you are a very determined and focused person. You earnestly put your whole heart in to the task at hand. One of the lessons at The Children's Garden is how important it is to make eye contact when speaking with others. Each day when you would walk into class you would stare down your teachers when you said hello, making sure to have (lots!) of eye contact. Your kindergarden teacher gives you a packet of homework each Friday to be turned in at the end of the following week. You usually have yours done the afternoon you get it and turn it in first thing on Monday. You are organized and on top of details but you are also very creative. You love all things art and you have a great imagination. But you aren't straight laced all of the time, Blake and all of your cousins seem to bring out your silly side.