Starlight Parade

Our friends the Harris's and Wilson's invited us to join them at the starlight parade this year. We were both a little weary, since bedtime is 8 in our house and the parade didn't start til (gulp) 8:30. You know you are a parent that covets schedule and sleep when the thought of deviating from the normal routine, is living on the edge :)
We went and it was AWESOME!! So much fun. There were a few "hairy" moments, but that's just normal to any time we leave the house.

We rocked the pants off that parade! I looked at my watch and saw it was TEN PM and looked at Matt like "we better wrap this up soon, before we stay two min too long". We didn't get home til almost 11 and made some amazing memories!

Pizza at Hot Lips (taken to go for obvious reasons), we ate at Jamison Park and let the kids play. Then headed down to where Dan was saving spots for all of us. The kids were so flabbergasted that they were allowed to play IN the street. They were seriously confused at first.

Deep thoughts over pizza

Waiting for the parade!

This is her "this is AWESOME" face

Pure cuteness

Outings

Here's what we've been up to since daddy returned to these parts of the world.

We took the kids to the children's museum. This was very nostalgic for me. I had a pass when Brooklyn was Benny's age, so she and I went frequently. Benny had never been. To say he loved it would be an understatement. 

"He ma! I can't see the water!"

Face paint!

Last week my mom's group made the annual trip to Hood River. I don't remember why I didn't go last year, but Brooklyn and I went the year before that while I was pregnant and it was fantastic.

We rode with the Wilson clan, totally fun!! Now that's a lot of babies

Brooklyn and one of her Noah's :)

organized chaos

Alpaca farm

Look, a monkey looking at an alpaca

What a great day! The weather was awesome and if you haven't been to Hood River, you are missing out. It is so incredibly beautiful. They have something called the fruit loop, which is a whole loop around the hills that overlook the valley with fruit stands, baked goods, wine tasting...what more could you ask for!

Such a fun day!

reunited

Matt is home from China! I didn't post that he was going to China just to be cautious while home alone with the babes, but he was gone for 9 days (I kept thinking it was 10, and ten sounds a lot longer, therefore giving myself more cred for holding down the fort...10 it is. Ha)

He went for grad school, in lieu of a class, to study the industry. It sounds like it was a once in a lifetime, amazing experience. He's going to do a post with pics soon.

We picked him up from the airport last night. It was a long anticipated day, so we made a special sign and got there nice and early to give him the welcome home he deserved.

Matt, although we got into a great rhythm and I was beyond well taken care of by all my amazing friends and our family in your absence (thank you all!!!) you were missed so much. This family is definitely not complete without you here. We love you and are so incredibly thankful you had a wonderful time, but we are even more thankful God brought you home to us safe and sound. Plan to be smothered for at least a week year :) xo

Blurry, but had to post it, she was holding her sign upside down :)

This sight got a lot of smiles from weary travelers that came out before Matt

This moment will be one I remember forever





While he was gone the question of the week in our house was "how many sleeps til daddy gets home". She loves her daddy more than words can say (especially if she's in trouble with mommy-then she REALLY wants daddy).

moves like jagger

This boy kills me. He loves to dance just like his sister! Enjoy this gem. 

Benny boy, I hope you always keep it as real as this my love.

Mother's Day Weekend

What a weekend! The Hippie Chick 1/2 race was awesome!!! The weather was crystal clear blue sky, sun shining. My race time was 1.47.47. My goal was 1.48...so I was very happy :) My knee...not so much. Then Saturday evening Cris and Bethany were over for a great dinner. Many thanks to both of them for watching the kiddos while I ran and Matt was in his Saturday class. 

Finish line with Dionne!

Sunday we hit the road first thing to head to the coast. What a perfect weekend for the beach. Here is our day trip in pictures:

We headed to Seaside to start, playing on the beach, then walking the strip (is that still what it's called?)

this girl loves rolling in the warm sand

I am going to treasure this pic forever. She was having so much fun looking at the "virtual" sharks and making goofy faces with ol' mom.

Then we headed down the coast to Canon Beach (which is both matt and my favorite spot on the OR coast). The weather was seriously blue sky, pure golden sun, very little wind and warm enough to play in a swim suit. Such a huge blessing to this vitamin D craver. I could not have asked for a more perfect day filled with laughs, smiles and memories with these three. 

This was 30 seconds after we pulled onto the highway to head home

Big Girl Bike

Check me out! Two posts in TWO days. That has to be some kinda record for me :) The sad truth is Ben woke up for the day at 4:45 (yes, that number is correct) and Brooklyn at 6 (due to her brother's loudness) so they have both now been napping for 2 hours already. **I'm ready for some sleep normalcy, but I'm not holding my breath because apparently having children eliminates that for...oh...forever :) 

Look who got a big girl bike! She loves it. The only issue is finding time to ride it without Benny around. I learned quickly that having her learning on this with him near the street equals imminent danger.

Gram bought her this and brought it over last week and she flipped. You can't tell from the picture, but it has all the disney princesses on it and a cute little castle basket on the top, and can't forget to mention the kickin streamers. Did I mention she loves this bike?

She took a few minor spills while trying to get the brakes figured out, but she got right back on! I am just in awe of what a little GIRL she is turning into by the day.

Today we had her dental appointment that's been on the calendar for months. She had to get some fillings and "band aids" as the sweet dentist called them, which is just a laminate to go over some of her crevices. Poor girl, due to the super high fevers she was always prone to as a baby her enamel didn't form properly...leading to this lovely procedure. She did fantastic though. I mean, over the top amazing. She only flipped once, and I think that was because she hated the feeling of the water being squirted directly on her tooth. She got to pick three prizes and today we are going for an afternoon date to target to get a new dress (her choice). Then off to the gym for my final training run. The Hippie Chick 1/2 is in t-3 days!!! The jitters have already set in.

Oh and here are a few cute pics I snapped of Brooklyn & her buddy Braeden, the other day while they were playing in the back yard. They were being extra cute.

we didn't pose this, they both just instinctually threw their feet up on the ball and I got the pic! that never happens

and had to get one of the second children. benny & stella (one of his MANY lady friends (wink wink))

Lady Bugs!

I have been so terrible about posting lately!

Here's a super quick update. We are coming up on the end of Brooklyn's first year of preschool! She'll be done for the summer at the end of May. We have a Mother's Day tea this Thursday, so I'll definitely post some pics and details of that :) I really can't wait.

They have been studying bugs this month, caterpillars, butterflies and ladybugs. Last week she got to bring home a bag with REAL lady bugs. Stoked is and understatement. She seriously talked about the ladybugs all day. "Mom, are the ladybugs going to their new home in our grass out side? Will they be safe if it rains? This one is the mommy and this one is the baby" It was so precious to watch her little wheels turn as she thought about them living outside of our home.

We bought our first watermelon of the season. These little people love watermelon. Who doesn't really? 

 And this little moment I couldn't help but document. Fresh out of bath, Brooklyn was finishing a beautiful picture she had been coloring off and on all day and Benny hiked himself up and started to help...and she let him! Benny getting on the table is a big no-no, but I couldn't help but let this one slide.

Today Brooklyn and I made a big batch of heart shaped sugar cookies for daddy (her personal request) and as I was stirring the frosting she looked at me and said "your amazing mom". melt.my.heart.

Another funny the other day: we were driving listening to music and she piped in "dad, remember this instrument is called a, um what is it called again?" Matt "a harmonica" B "oh ya, a harmonica. That's a really difficult word, it's hard for my mouth to say".

Always thinking.