Update on the fam.

Figured I'd better put something on here before I get out of blog mode. I'll do a quick bullet-style entry simply for the lazy factor. :)

• We took an overnight trip to Victoria on the Clipper a couple weeks ago. We were fourth-to-last last people to board and there were NO seats left for the four of us to sit together. I was getting seriously worried until the crew led us to their totally separate break room and said we could sit in there, which was SO nice; we didn't have to worry about our loud boys bothering anyone. [En route on the Clipper I discovered my camera was NOT WORKING. Ugh! It worked fine the day before! I was SO bummed. Of course it decides to break down right as we leave for a vacation!] We arrived in Victoria; grabbed a quick dinner, then took a cute tiny little water ferry/tugboat thing across the harbor to our hotel (the Delta - which is so kid-friendly; when we checked in the boys each got a gift bag containing a stuffed animal and a book!). We spent the evening swimming in the pool, which the boys loved. The next day we spent sightseeing. Took the boys to the Bug Zoo (awesome - perfect for boys!), then had lunch, then took a tour on a big red open-air bus (the boys slept for the last half). Then went to a park where there was a petting zoo (which was closed - Xander was NOT happy); played there a while then headed back and boarded the Clipper to go home. We had a great time on the ride home; we actually got regular seats with a table (booth-style) and ordered dinner baskets which we all dumped out and divvied up according to who wanted what. It was a really fun trip!
• Like I said, my camera broke down so we sent it in for warranty repair, and its taking forever, which totally bums me out. There have been a lot of picture-worthy things lately!
• Xander started soccer with Lil' Kickers last week. Its once a week through September and at a park just right down the highway which is nice. He is soooo excited. I bought him cleats, and he got a Lil' Kickers uniform when we signed up. He looks SO adorable, and thinks he's really cool for playing soccer. [Uuuugh, will my camera please hurry up and come home?!]
• I weighed & measured the boys the other day. Xander, at five years and one month old, is 44 pounds (69th percentile) and 44 inches tall (66th percentile). Dax, at nearly 23 months, is 26 pounds (just 27th percentile) and 36 inches tall (87th percentile). An older brother in our congregation hoisted Dax up for a hug the other day and exclaimed "wow, this is a SOLID little guy!" He went on & on about it for quite a while. Thankfully when you are 23 months old it is a compliment to be "solid."
• Speaking of being solid, Juston and I are on a crazy diet. We get NO starch, sugar, or dairy (including eggs). It is hard to get used to the diet, but we've both lost a good amount of weight and have just over a week & a half left, followed by three weeks of "maintenance." We'll see how non-solid we will both be when it is all over. I don't miss sugar or milk, which is really surprising. But I do miss eggs, cheese, and crackers (especially Roasted Garlic Triscuits!). I feel SO good; my body feels way lighter and less bulky. I'm pretty sure I was allergic to something that I'm now not eating (dairy probably). It'll be interesting to see how my body reacts when we start gradually adding 'normal' foods back into our diet.
• Dax is talking up a storm! He is the cutest little stinker ever. He is really rough & tumble, and hits Xander a LOT. He screams when he doesn't get his way, and wants to be on my lap or in my arms all day long (which gets a little old). And he is a bottomless pit. He just ate two scrambled eggs and downed a cup of milk (standard breakfast for him) and then asked for peanut butter toast, cut into triangles ("host! Hi-angles!!"). He can't pronounce Ts or Rs very well, which is quite cute. For instance, when he says Thomas (as in Thomas the Tank Engine) he calls him "Who-wonnis" which I think makes Thomas sound Hispanic. Like, Juan-is. Haha!! Cracks me up! He can sing the ABC song, and recognize a few letters and colors. He learns so much from Xander!
• Xander is turning into such a cool kid. Its been so crazy this past year to watch him go from preschooler to full-on KID. We got him a bike for preschool graduation but he still hasn't figured out how to pedal! Poor guy. I'll have to spend some serious time with him outside this summer (if we EVER get nice bike-worthy weather around here!!).

I'm getting depressed that I don't have any pictures to share from Victoria, or of Xander at soccer. So here are the most recent ones I have of the boys; snapped at Gilman Village (I was there taking pictures of my friend's new massage/chiropractic practice for her website). Xander climbing a rhododendron (he actually posed and asked me to take his picture!) and Dax running around wreaking havoc. Pretty standard stuff for the two of them.

That's all for now!