Bow tie

My handsome little man. I couldn't put anything froofy in his hair, or cute tights on him, so this adorable bow tie had to do. I am pretty surprised that he kept it on for the entire three hours of Church. He must like lookin' good.

Farm Time

Today we had a preschool field trip to a farm in the country. I just love how beautiful the drive is not far from our house. The fields of grass, clover, and farms looked amazing. Unfortunately, my allergies were in overdrive out there.
The kids were able to feed all kinds of animals. There was a cow, horses, goats, emu's, chickens, ducks, pigs, and bunnies. They gave the kids big boxes of bread to hand out. They seemed to enjoy it. I think the highlight for Grace was getting to hold the baby chick.

 

 

Afterwards, the kids played on a tire swing and merry go round. We were given goody bags of nuts to take home. We had fun and hopefully next time Neil won't be such a chicken.

Fishy

We have had the greatest weather over the last few days. I am loving it! We were able to do one of my favorite things over Mother's Day weekend. It was plenty hot enough to take the boat for a spin at the lake. The girls really wanted to fish so the three of us went along with Grandma and Grandpa for a fun trip out on the water. The sun was really hot out there and we reapplied our sunscreen over and over again.

It was a good thing that we had Grandpa there to bait our hooks since my girls have started becoming much more "girly" lately. They didn't want to touch the worms. Granted, I didn't want to either, but it was strange because just a couple years ago Claire would have really enjoyed playing with the worms. We got our poles in the water and sat back to relax. It wasn't long before the first fish was on! It was great. Claire got to reel it in. She was very pleased with herself. Thankfully, not too much time passed before we got another fish. This time Grace was able to bring it in. We got really lucky to get 2 fish. I'm so glad that worked out. :)

We were super hot and sweaty, so we decided to take a break from fishing and joyride a bit around the lake to cool down. It was a lot of fun! Getting splashed felt great. I really love being out on the water like that. The rushing air in your face feels invigorating. We are so lucky to live close to Grandpa and Grandma. It's great that we can spend time together and do fun things! I know the girls had a great time on their successful fishing trip!

We cooked the fish up at our Mother's Day BBQ on Sunday. It was a great weekend!

Baby trip

This is my nephew Lincoln. We were able to make a weekend trip up to Spokane to see him and his parents. It is so strange to me that my little sister has a baby. I couldn't help but think back on when I first had Claire. We had no idea how much our lives would change...

Doesn't he have the cutest hair?

Proof that I was actually there

On Saturday we decided to explore Spokane and get the kids some fresh air. We went to the Riverside Park and had a blast! This is the Garbage Goat. You push a button and this goat statue actually sucks trash out of your hands. The kids loved it! We had to create more trash to keep feeding him.

 There is a really huge Radio Flyer wagon with an awesome slide at the park. I may have gone down.

On the carrousel. It actually made me a little sick. I just can't spin anymore.

We walked around and across the falls. The pictures just don't do it justice. It was pretty breathtaking to watch how fast and powerful the water was rushing through there. We even got wet at we crossed one of the bridges.

Had to hit up the kiddie rides for super expensive fun.  :)

My mom only wanted one thing from us...and here it is. Sisters with the new baby.

My fam

We took literally bajillons of pictures with all sorts of combinations. It was a bit of a joke. By the end Chris came up with this combo....

the dogs decided to participate and make it extra awkward.  :)

It was a fun packed weekend! With all the walking, playing, picture taking, and swimming at the hotel, we were pooped! 

Easter Fun

Easter weekend was gorgeous! The sun was out and we were able to spend lots of time outside. On Saturday we went to a fun gathering with lunch, games for the kids, and an egg hunt. The kids had a great time. Neil really enjoyed the little play house they had in the yard. He also really enjoyed all the candy. It's his first year for getting to eat it all, and he is sure digging it. :)

Sunday was a great day too! Sacrament meeting was very powerful and moving with all of the great music. It was nice to really remember my Savior and what He has done for me. It's always a challenge to try making Easter more Christ centered for the kids. It is really important to me that they understand what it is all about. I am still trying to come up with a good balance.

We went to Grandma and Grandpa's house for a nice family dinner. The kids played with cousins and we were able to relax and chat. Overall, it was a great weekend. I am ready for more sun! It really was energizing.

Sun and Surf

It's spring break again around here, and yesterday we were lucky enough to actually see the sun! Chris was able to get the day off from work and we headed to the coast. It was a perfect day. Not too cold or windy, and plenty of sunshine. We headed to Tillamook and hiked around the Cape Meares lighthouse and the famous Octopus tree before heading down the hill to the quaint beach at Oceanside.

The kids had a blast in the sand and of course the water. Even Neil managed to get wet, although he wasn't really a fan. Afterwards we of course went to the Cheese Factory to sample some cheese and get huge ice cream cones. It was a perfect day!

Lil Terror

We haven't really been up to much lately besides fighting off "the sickness" that everyone seems to have been passing around. Thankfully, we seem to all be better for now.

I thought I would share a little bit about the fun things we are dealing with on a daily basis with our little one.

Lately, Neil has 3 priorities..

1) Get into any open bathroom and head straight for the toilet. Flush repeatedly. Then find any loose clothing to wash by hand in this toilet...then flush again.

2) He really does have a love for laundry because his next priority started off very sweet. He wants to unload and load the washing machine. This was great until I am ready to be done, but he decides to keep going. All of our previously cleaned and folded laundry gets wadded up and stuffed back into the wash. Grrr. (I guess it's better than in the toilet)

3) Push any and all electronic buttons and devices until everything is messed up. Yep, you can imagine: cell phone, kindle, computer, stereo, dvd player, dishwasher, etc.... He just knows too much. He can unlock my cellphone and make my books on my kindle disappear. I haven't been able to figure out how he does that yet.

All in all, we are doing great. He keeps us on our toes and we love him to pieces. Hopefully this toilet obsession will end before he figures out how to open the doors. :)