Weekend brunch, a family tradition.

We love to have breakfast out on the weekends.  Honestly, the boys can pack away more food at a late Saturday morning breakfast out than in an entire average day.  Easily.  We went last weekend to Kenny and Zuke's and it was SO yummy.  Our amazing breakfast was followed by a walk through sunny downtown Portland, grocery shopping at the ever inspiring Whole Foods, and a quick stop at the Apple store.  Pretty typical for the Petkun family on the weekend and my idea of perfect happiness.

Waiting patiently for French toast, fruit, and bacon.

staples

I forgot to put up photos from our first medical emergency!  Wally split his head open on the fireplace surround at Sunriver a few weeks ago.  There was a lot of blood, a lot of waiting at the urgent care facility, and a lot of proud story telling by this brave boy.  The staples are out and long since forgotten now....

 A dilly bar and soft serve cone to finish out the long day.  All is well!  

Easter Sunday

Today we celebrate that He is Risen!  The greatest sacrifice, the greatest gift, which our Lord gave to all the earth on this day so long ago.  The most important things we need to teach these boys; all hinge on this blessed Easter day.  

first swimming lessons

 Walter spent the entire class asking when he could go down the slide.  Incessantly.  When it was time for the slides, the teacher asked them to walk one at a time to the blue (smaller) slide.  The first boy went down the blue slide.  The second boy walked to the top of the blue slide stairs and decided at the top he couldn't do it.  Walter asked the teacher why he couldn't do the yellow slide.  She said "You think you want to do the yellow slide?" and was fully expecting him to get to the top of the stairs and chicken out.  I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Wally would go down the yellow slide without hesitation.  Teacher Lexi was surprised, but this mama wasn't!

Mr. Fritz was the only kid in his class, so he enjoyed a private lesson with Teacher Lexi.  He was a bubble blowing machine!  We do so many things all together, it really is hard to remember that Fritz is not the same age as Wally.  Rarely does it cross my mind that they are not the same age and should not be held to the same developmental standards.  This boy is so physically coordinated, I know we will spend the next 15-20 years on the side lines watching him excel in sports.  It is his lot in life as the younger of two Irish twins, to push himself to the levels of the brother before him.  It is truly an amazing thing to watch your children be exceptional.  

PS.  I am the farthest thing from a parent who thinks their children are exceptional in all arenas.  (I spent enough time as a teacher being completely annoyed by such parents to never want to be one.)  Let it be known that both of these boys had massive tantrums, MULTIPLE times today and left me in despair at what a terrible job I must be doing as a mother....  But as Wally said to me today..."I love you Mommy.  And you love me very much.  Even though I have been very naughty today.  You still love me."  Amen.

cousins

Photos stolen from the talented sister-in-law/dearest friend, Auntie Ali, who makes super fun snacks like apple stars.  

Sweet cuddle moment:

 And rough and tumble cuddles, with loving intention:

the carnage of construction

Our gorgeous field of daffodils is now a wasteland of tree limbs.  It had to happen, but is really so sad.  

R.I.P. beautiful, wise, old giant.    

I hate the tree cut down, but I love this picture.  Doesn't he just look as melancholy as a three year old possibly could look?  

missing Daddy...

Fritz (very loudly-excited) announced to a stranger at the store yesterday that he was wearing a new shirt that his Daddy had gotten for him in Peru.  Wally chimed right in and the talked and talked about their shirts, their new shoes (Fritz' are "running and jumping" shoes, Wally's are "running and climbing" shoes.  Don't get it mixed up.)  This lady got a real kick out of them and was a good sport about the whole thing.  She said she liked the llamas on Walter's shirt.  His response: "OH.  They are not llamas.  They are alpacas.  My daddy went to Peru.  Now he is in Turkey.  Not the animal.  Not the food.  The COUNTRY."  Last night I woke around 3 am to find a body in my bed.  A bit startling.  It was Wally, asleep.  If he had talked to me about it, I don't have any recollection.  This morning he told me "I was sad because of missing Daddy, so I came to cuddle you.  I cuddled you so that you can send the cuddles to Daddy."  Sweetest boys.  Come home safely Daddy.

just one more...

Inquisitive little boy:

a rare spring moment

Across the street from our home is a GIANT black walnut tree.  It is a beautiful, wise old tree that at once was the centerpiece of the rural nursery found on this land.  Old ladies from the neighborhood come with shovels in hand to dig up the heirloom bulbs and few remaining valuable plants growing in the fields before the bulldozers prep for new foundations.  They tell me stories about the man who owned and ran the nursery.  I'm sure it is pure heart break for them to see it all ripped up and socked in with new houses too densely built.  Anyway, the early days of April under this tree are magic.  Hundreds and hundreds of daffodil blooms fill the slope under the tree.  A dream for photos really.  And we had to document the gorgeousness this year as we knew it was scheduled to be the last....

hot and cold boy

This Walter is my hot and cold boy.  He has high highs and low lows.  Here is a moment captured of Wally in the sweetest mood.  Eyes sparkling with happiness and simple pleasures.  His true self, unfettered by toddler angst.  (Also a documentation of his vast collection of bruises and black eyes.)

imaginary friends?

This morning Fritz and I had a very interesting conversation while he rationed out Kix cereal into three groups.  In what I call his "tough guy" voice (deep, throaty, weird!) he told me he was saving the cereal for his friends.  What friends?  "Ink and Clink.  They live by Cassie.  They are my friends."  (Imagine this quote with the deep tough guy voice.)  Ink and Clink are both boys and big kids.  I left it at that and didn't ask any more.  I'm not sure if I want to encourage the arrival of imaginary friends into our home.  I've heard some horror stories of imaginary friend escapades from other moms.  It all smacks rather familiar....  Did you know my sister Bridget had a brother who lived in a pink house down the hill from our home in Pendleton?  Look out, Ink and Clink...I'm on to you.

flowers of the field

On our walk yesterday...
Fritz: "Hey, I see ambylens!"
Wally: "No, Fritz. Dandelions."

Humpty Dumpty

silly boys

Got a field full of daffodils under a gorgeous and enormous old tree?  We do.  For the time being at least.  An amazing photo shoot opportunity.  Will my boys cooperate?  Not much.  Will they be in a picture together?  Hardly.  An hour later, playing up the street, will they RUN to each other and insist on me taking their picture?  Yes.  With the lovely back drop of blackberry brambles and power lines.  Ahhhh, silly boys.

I'm not eating dirt.  Really.  I promise.

Where are you, Liberty?

We can't get enough of the vintage carousel at Janzen Beach!  Definitely the greatest $2 entertainment around.  Fritz has a special horse he likes to ride called 'Liberty'.  We searched and searched for Liberty but couldn't find her this visit.  Turns out Daddy gave her that moniker and it suffices for any horse with a flag painted on it's saddle (of which there are many).  I started to wonder about that after we had searched four times around the entire carousel!  "Liberty, Liberty, Liberty???  Where are you?"

preschool dance

Last week our preschool had a great little family dance night.  We had been struggling through a bit of a rough patch with the boys behavior and I had determined that a 6-8pm dance was a bad idea.  My intentions of skipping the dance were thwarted by the teachers talking it up so much at school.  The boys were so excited about it, I just couldn't say no.  And it was a good thing I didn't because it was a lot of fun! Walter loves to dance and he got in the groove immediately.  Fritz stood frozen at the entrance, a bit dumb founded by this unusual scene in the church gym, for the first ten minutes.  And then, something clicked in him and he became a dancing machine.  It was hilarious.  Funny, funny baby boy.

Especially for Gramma: