Dear Metropolitan Market,

As we are packing up to leave Seattle I am pondering the things that I will miss the most. I have enjoyed the new friends I have made. I love your parks, each one is seriously amazing. I also love all of your restaurants and shopping. And Burke-Gilman Trail we had some good times. But, let's be honest, Metropolitan Market, I will miss you the most!

I will miss the overflowing flowers arranged in color groupings by the door. I will miss the beautiful and glossy produce section that makes vegetables look appetizing. I will miss your glorious deli with my favorite sandwiches and other treats. I will miss your free and exotic cheese samples. Camembert! Aged Cheddar! Gouda! And dessert section, I am starting to well up as I think I leaving you behind. Cookies, pies, cakes, sold in individual portions, calling out to me. You are one minute away from my house and open for a casual visit 24 hours a day. I will miss visiting you every time I forget just one thing for dinner, or have a late-night-craving, or a weird ingredient the other stores don't sell.

I thinks it is time for the MM to branch out and start some stores in Boise.

Love, LauriAnn

So Doctor-y

Tonight Joe had his white coat ceremony signifying the end of his second year of med school and the beginning of the third when they do their clinical rotations. He is done with school now, and is studying for the board exams (major test that helps determine what type of residencies you can apply for) and the kids and I are moving next weekend! Joe's family came and we had a fun time. Joe celebrated this momentous occasion this morning by riding his bike around Lake Washington with his friends Dale and Matt. It is an at least fifty mile loop with more hills than they anticipated, but they did it!

Memorial Day Weekend Road Trip

For Memorial Day we did a scenic road trip called the Cascade Loop that circles the North Cascade Mountains in Washington. We stopped in Leavenworth, a little Bavarian town, and played some miniature golf. The kids loved it, but mostly just picked up their balls and moved them to the edge of the cup, and then hit them in. After a round of golf, we rode into town and got some ice cream and saw a German band. They were awesome! We stayed the night in Wenatchee in a sketchy little hotel.

The next day we drove by the Columbia River and and Lake Chelan. It is amazing how sunny and warm things are as soon as you get on the eastern side of the cascades. You are welcome Eastern Washington from us Western Washingtonians for absorbing all the rain and clouds. We visited a little Western-themed town called Winthrop that was pretty cute. There we saw a glass blower in action, that was fascinating! We drove through the North Cascades National Park and went sledding at the summit. We did a little bit of hiking and saw all kinds of water falls, rivers, and lakes.

That night we stayed in Bellingham near the Canadian border. The kids were thrilled to be in a hotel that had a pool. The next day we did a scenic drive called Chuckanut that followed the coast down, and it was pretty. I think everyone had a good time; Joe and I are always up for a road trip as long as we have the DVD players for the kids.

Madison's Graduation

Tonight was Madison's graduation from ECEAP (preschool) at UW (also not her first university, she did some work at Boise State last summer). It was cute/sad. Madison LOVES school and has learned so much and has so many friends and great teachers I just felt sad for her sake that tomorrow was her last day!

All the kids were wearing little caps and gowns and they sang us a couple of songs. The teachers had a video montage of pictures from the school year that was really good. Then the kids graduated and got their certificates. I do not think that there were that many cameras at my high school graduation (500+ grads). These parents and relatives were excited, and as a result I had a hard time seeing most of the program because they were all standing up and taking an obscene amount of pictures. But who can blame them, preschoolers in caps and gowns are pretty cute.

Afterward we had a buffet dinner and not one, but two kinds of cake (for the last week this has been emphasized at our home every day after school, one white, one chocolate). Madison introduced us to her BFFs that we have heard about all year: Mariam, Delisia, Leah, and Yuenah. What a fun night! Kindergarten here we come! Although after ECEAP kindergarten might be anti-climactic.

Joe has his last final tomorrow and I have been packing and cleaning so we haven't been up to anything terribly exciting, but here are some highlights.

Madison lost her first tooth, and the other one is practically already in. She was eating some goldfish crackers, it came out, and she totally didn't realize. Joe noticed and asked her where her tooth went, and she had no idea! We think the most likely scenario is that she swallowed it. She already has another loose tooth. She is getting so old!

Joe gave Hayes a haircut and we tried to give him a mohawk, but he did not like it. I thought he looked cute, like Puck from Glee, but apparently this hairstyle was not fancy enough for him and he made us shave it off.

Hayes has also decided he doesn't like to sleep alone. Saturday I went to go get something in my room and found him asleep in my bed with his blankets and stuffed animals. Sunday night Joe found him in Madison's room with his pillow, blankets, and bear. We never even heard any talking or anything. It was pretty funny.

Mitchapalooza

My brother Mitch came to visit us this last weekend and an awesome time was had by all. We tried to show Mitch a good time and fortunately the weather cooperated. On Thursday we went to the Japanese Gardens at the Seattle Arboretum (I LOVE going there!). It was even prettier than I remembered it; everything was in bloom. We bought some fish food for the kids and the had a great time feeding the huge Koi that were in the pond.

Friday afternoon we took Mitch to our favorite park/beach for a picnic. It was above 70 degrees and sunny. The kids played for hours in the sand and Mitch and I enjoyed one of our favorite activities of lying on the beach, eating cupcakes, and analyzing our siblings. That night we went to dinner with a family friend from Boise.

Saturday was our adventurous day. Adventurous because I usually don't willingly drive in downtown Seattle. We went to the Cheese Festival at Pike's Place, and it was crazy-crowded. We could barely wedge ourselves in to the tables to get our little toothpicks loaded with cheese. We still had a good time, though, except for the kids who were pretty grumpy. Definitely too many people for Hayes' taste. That afternoon we went to a coed baby shower where Mitch made a new best friend.

Mitch left yesterday and the kids are so sad. We definitely miss him!

Top 5 Reasons My Mom is better than Emily's

1. She has a level a patience that is envied world-wide. I never thought much of it until I was a parent (which is why my siblings never comment on it), but it is surreal. I always have people comment on how chilled-out she is.

2. She has set the best example of self-esteem and healthy living in my life. She runs...every single day, and doesn't eat butter on her toast. She has never made a disparaging comment about how she looks, and that makes me feel better about myself.

3. She read to us all the time as kids and I think that greatly contributed to my and my siblings love of learning. We have all or are about to attend college, and three of us are working on grad school. I attribute that to the high priority of being informed that my mother set for us.

4. She only cut us some slack when we really needed it (this does not include illness). She holds to a high standard, so we have learned to do that in our own lives. One of her favorite stories is about Sir Thomas Moore (A Man For All Seasons) who maintains his integrity and dies for it. She reminds me of him, except she is still alive.

5. She takes great care of my dad. I have never heard her say anything bad about him, and she always puts him first. She supports him in everything he does, even though it isn't always her favorite thing. I think I have only ever seen them argue about politics! She is a great example of how to be a fantastic wife.

Happy Mother's Day Mom! I love you!