graduation

Don't be misled by the title of this post.
No no.
Dylan did not graduate.
He still has an eternity 11 months of school left....not that I'm counting.

But we did have a preschool graduation for Dawson and Harper.
Dawson starts kindergarten in the fall...what the?!
Harper will do one more year of preschool.
And since they were in the same class (their teachers are saints...with a touch crazy for taking them both, if you ask me) we got to see them both perform in their program.

the venue.
aka: the sanctuary of the church where the school meets.

The students all walked in with their 'caps' on.

They did a patriotic-themed singing program, complete with 'Grand Ol' Flag' and 'This Land'...it was precious.

Harper was singing so loudly, the stained glass windows were rattling. 

One of the highlights of my life is seeing her do something she loves.

After the singing, things got a little boring for the kids.

But regained momentum when they received their 'diplomas.'

the lighting in this picture is totally awesome.

sophie, dawson, and harper.

Luckily, refreshments were served shortly thereafter.
Which were a BIG hit.

yum.

Then it was time for more pictures.
Because the 327 I had already were barely enough.

The kids have been going to Wonder World for 3 years now, with Lynda and Chris as their teachers.  Dawson loves Lynda and Harper has a soft spot for Chris...mostly because she wears purple eyeshadow. 

And then it was time for pictures with friends.

harper and one of her best friends reagan.
reagan is one of the few people who harper was ALWAYS excited to see.

ryan, dawson, sophie, harper.

grant and dawson.
grant is a year older, so was not in dawsons class.
however, dawson is the president of grant's fan club.

We are so proud of our little graduates and thrilled we could be there for their big day!

xo,
tracy

tee ball

We have been having so much fun in Boise that I haven't even been taking pictures. Because apparently I don't care to remember our time here.
Which is not true at all...but because of my laziness, I am having to share things that happened several months ago.  Which I did document with pictures.  And which I should have documented on our blog.
I'm all about organization.

Side note: Apparently I was rather vague in my blog/facebook announcement of our temporary move to Boise.  So, in order to clarify, our ENTIRE family came to Boise TOGETHER...Dylan came with. 
And he and I are happily married.
Still.
Even though apparently I didn't previously mention that. 
He is doing his first of 4 rotations in Boise, so we made the move to be closer to family for the summer months. 
We are still a big fat happy family.

Before we left Forest Grove (all together, just to reiterate), Dawson and Harper played tee ball.
They LOVED it.

Except for the last game when Harper refused to play.  Which happened to be the only game when I remembered my camera.
See?
Organization I tell you.

I decided not to force the issue.
I'm learning to pick my battles with that little girl.
Like last week when we had the following conversation:

Harper (age 4): Aunt Jennifer, do you smoke cigarettes?
Jennifer: No.
Harper: I can't wait until I'm old enough to smoke cigarettes.

Awesome.
It was definitely one of my prouder parenting moments.

Back to tee ball...they loved it.  Harper demanded attention from everyone in attendance, choosing to walk slowly around all the bases while everyone anticipated her arrival at home base. 
To which she would smirk, and then swat at the base. 
All the while making a 'I couldn't care less' face that she has, in my opinion, mastered. 

We loved going to watch the kids play and see our little ball players out on the field.
Like this little boy, who only got better as the season went on:

player #8, dawson hatfield.

batter up.

home run.
in tee ball, a home run = any contact with the ball.

going home.

outfield.
is it just me, or is he the most handsome boy?

thanks to my lens, i was able to see the conversation between dawson and his opponent.
dawson: stop hitting me.
opponent: i don't have to.
dawson: if you touch me again, i'm going to punch you in the face.

i'm not lying.  and i'm pretty sure he meant every word.
don't mess with the hatfields.

And while Dawson was playing and I was being the paparazzi, there was one loyal fan who always went along.
He cheered.
He clapped.
And sometimes there was a bit of sulking.
Just a little. 
And only because he was so desperate to get out on the field and play.
 

beckham standing behind home plate.

it was torture for him.
he would sit on the team bench and just stare.
heart. breaking.

Every now and then, he would get sick of hoping waiting and would finally go find something else to do.
Like play a game of catch with himself.

And sometimes a little red hair girl who couldn't care less about tee ball, would have a brilliant plan to help distract the boy.

Because even though she didn't care about tee ball,
she did care about some things.

And she would give him under dogs.
And teach him to pump his legs.

And they would talk.

And even though he really wanted to be on the field with #8, everyone was happy.

xo,
tracy

ps: i got an iphone this week.  it's the MOST exciting thing.  i am finally a grown up.

mothers

What would a holiday be without a sappy post from yours truly?!
It wouldn't be.

I was showered with gifts all week long from my sweet little ones, but a few stood out as special:

Dawson:

At church they gave the kids surveys to fill out about their mothers.
dawsons said:
 mom, you are the best at: making flowers stay alive.
my favorite thing to do with you is: cook gingersnaps.
i love when you: take me to the park.
if i could give you anything in the world it would be: some flowers.
you are more beautiful than: flowers.
i promise to: always think of you.
i'll always remember: our dates at mcdonalds.
i love you more than: cookies.

judging by the survey and other various drawings i received,
i think dawson believes i am obsessed with flowers.

how dawson sees me.
i love the earrings and the eyelashes.

flower he painted.

Harper:

harpers survey:
mom, you are the best at: taking care of me.
my favorite thing to do with you is: baking.
i love when you: help me get dressed.
if i could give you anything in the world it would be: a present.
you are more beautiful than: a rose.
i promise to: be the best daughter.
i'll always remember: to give you a rose.
i love you more than: my favorite food (this is big people).

how harper sees me.
how cute is her signature at the bottom?

flower she painted.

And from Dylan I received a surprise trip to Utah to visit Betsy and meet Chandler.  I suck (as usual) and only took a handful of pictures.  It was so wonderful to be there. 
Best. Gift. Ever:

betsy in all her motherly glory.
yes, she really had a baby two weeks ago.

there was LOTS of sleeping going on.
by chandler, not us.
and only during the day...she loves to be awake at night.
she's nocturnal apparently.

this is what we looked like most of the week.
pretty.

one rare occasion where we were both ready for the day...with makeup on and everything.
having a newborn is tough.

despite the new found responsibility of caring for another human being,
we still managed to dig deep and find some immaturity.
holla.

Mothers day always makes me think about how grateful I am to have three healthy, beautiful, hilarious children.  I am grateful for each of them in different ways.

To Dawson, thank you for always being kind.  For acting as the mediator.  For including everyone and being so excited about life.  You keep my brain young with questions like 'why is carpet called carpet,' 'how many hairs are on my head?' and 'why do I have those little lines under my tongue.'  You have a love for school, friends, sports, and anything outside.  I still remember the first time I felt you gently move in my stomach...it was the sweetest feeling.  You have continued to quietly and subtly remind me of your presence in our family every single day.

To Harper, thank you for keeping me on my toes.  Your sarcasm and silliness is something you inherited from both your daddy and me.  I know that as you grow, you will find ways to channel your spirited nature into all things good; that you will be a leader and never doubt yourself.  You came into this world screaming and have demanded that same attention every day of your life.  I am grateful for your passion and dedication to the things you love.  I admire your free spirit and have learned to be thankful for all the rich experiences you have provided.  You have taught me so much and I have absolutely loved having you as a daughter.

To Beckham, you are the sweetest way I could have hoped to complete our family.  You make me smile every day and laugh even more.  You are so enthusiastic when you talk, that I often have to look away to keep from laughing.  You have an infectious laugh and people of all ages love to be around you.  You love anything sports, bugs, and dirty...you are a boy's boy.  When I think about you as a baby, I remember holding you all night long on my chest.  I cherished those fleeting moments that I knew were numbered.  Don't tell your daddy, but you make me want to have 10 more children just like you.  I wish I could keep you like this forever.

On this day especially, I am grateful to be a mother. 
Happy Mothers Day to all the women and little women, daughters, grandmothers, aunts and in-laws.
And especially to my own beautiful mom and mother-in-law. 
We love you.

xo,
tracy