Cooking with Abuelito

The kids helped Abuelito make tostones last weekend. They both devoured them! 

It's so nice having grandparents so close! I love watching them make these kind of memories...

They live...

 a charmed life.

Meet The Teacher

Grayson got to meet her teacher this last Thursday. Moses took off the morning so he could join us. (Abuelita was staying with us, and graciously offered to watch Garrison at home). Grayson was excited, she had flowers for teacher with a card that read: "if teachers were flowers, I'd pick you". Her teacher offered her a big, warm hug when she walked in the classroom. Grayson found her table, cubby, and basket..  She took in all the room had to offer. Their classroom mascot is Curious George, which is great for Gigi because she [still] loves George! After her 'meet the teacher' we took her to breakfast. It was really nice to have a morning with just the 3 of us (which never happens).

Hair twirler...

Grayson,

You are 5 (almost 6) and still twirl your hair at night to fall asleep. When you wake up each morning, it takes us forever to come thru it.. As much as you (and I often) complain about it, it's something I want to remember forever.. It's a little piece of your baby & toddler years that you (and I) are still holding on to. It's so precious and innocent to see you sleeping each night, like this...

Love,

Momma

if looks could kill...

[after I said no, to the ice cream truck]

Half Baked

Baby is officially half baked! What a busy 5 months it has been! 

Grayson has joined me on every OB appt, thus far. It has been quite the bonding experience for us both. She is so excited to be a big sister [again]! 

Grayson has also been documenting our OB experience's together via photographs. 

Easter 2014

We spent Easter at home this year. We cooked, we played, we went to an Easter egg helicopter drop, and had some friends over for dinner. The kids woke up nice and early and enjoyed going through their Easter baskets and then outside for an egg hunt in the yard. Grayson and I made resurrection rolls {new tradition?} while Garrison and Daddy chilled. Garrison had a rough day, I don't think he got enough sleep. Then to top it all off, when we went to the helicopter Easter egg drop someone knocked him over and he didn't end up getting a single egg. Although Grayson graciously offered to share her eggs, it's just not the same.

Easter Egg Hunt!

Last Saturday we went to an Easter egg hunt at a local park. It was a beautiful day, so we lucked out. In addition to the egg hunt, there was food, games, photo booth and face painting.. The kids were in different age brackets for the egg hunt. Moses had the camera and stayed with Garrison for the egg hunt, that's why most the pictures are of him!









Pretty excited about Peanut M&M's!

Wordless Wednesday

{Pee Wee Herman?}

The Seattle Aquarium

A few weeks ago we had a nice, sunny day and Moses coincidentally had taken the day off of work. So we made an impromptu trip to the Seattle Aquarium. Since it was a weekday, there weren't many kids. So my kids were able to get up close and personal with just about everything they wanted to see. Following, our visit we ate lunch at the Crab Pot and finished the day off with ice cream. We have slowly made it a tradition to get ice cream before getting on the ferry - no matter the weather.

*Warning: the pictures are pretty poor quality - all from my phone.

Seahawks pride at the aquarium

New Bike, No Training Wheels

You may remember, that Garrison received a bike for his 3rd birthday. Well, that was only 6 months ago and he was already ready for an upgrade. He chose a bright green X Games bike. It suits him well, with his love of extreme sports. It even came with pegs for all the tricks I am sure he will be doing soon!

When we got home, M took off his training wheels and off he went. I was skeptical about his lil 3 yr old body riding and balancing on a larger bike. But he managed just fine. 

Here's the thing. Its awesome that both kids hit the milestone of riding a bike without training wheels so early (Grayson was 4). But, as a parent, what makes me really proud is there determination and perseverance. They both have taken some falls and I mean serious falls (skinned up knees, elbows, palms, etc). When this happens, they literally pick themselves back up, brush themselves off, sometimes ask for a Band-aid, and get right back on! The more experienced they are at riding, the more they learn to fall without getting hurt. While, yes, it's awesome they are riding bikes, getting exercise, and out in sunshine. I don't focus on that though. What I see is success for them. That they know that they can do whatever they set their minds to. That they know that sometimes in life they are going to fall down, but it's important to get right back up and try again. That they have learned from their previous mistakes when falling and found how to fall without incident. That's what makes me proud. Whether they learned to ride bikes at 3, 4, 5, or 9 (like me, he he) - they believe in themselves! 

1st Day of Spring

We make it a point to celebrate just about every holiday that has a name. After a long winter, we were really happy to welcome the 1st Day of Spring! I could think of no better way to celebrate Spring, than blowing bubbles! We are hoping for some more sunshine and warmer weather real soon I am already daydreaming about how fast we could get ready each day if we didn't have to worry about socks, tying shoes/boots, and coats. We are also very excited to spend time in our new backyard!