Washington DC

Last week I was fortunate enough to head out to Washington DC to visit with my older brother. He received a promotion from work and there was a ceremony to celebrate this huge accomplishment. It was a great weekend. I have been to DC a number of times so we hit a few spots not yet explored. Gettysburg and Mount Vernon. Gettysburg has a brand new visitors center with a theater and a 360 degree original painting of one of the battles with a life like narration. It was AMAZING. I am not big history buff and I found it fascinating. It also helped that my brother has studied these battles in great detail and was a terrific tour guide. Mount Vernon was equally impressive. The best part of the trip was hanging out with family and some of Mark's friends. We laughed and ate a lot. Thanks again Mark for a great trip and congratulations!

A family note...

We just want to send our love to our Kansas Family. Grandma Jerry passed away on Easter Sunday and the memorial is tomorrow (Weds) in McPherson, KS. We are wishing we could be there. I am glad she was able to hear about all of us kids reuniting again. I am sure it touched her heart. We will miss you Grandma Jerry.

Act 4...

Last but not least we headed to Grandpa Gerrie and Grandma Jeanie's for Easter Dinner. We had so much fun playing with our cousins, seeing Aunt Michelle, and getting even more Easter goodies. Thank you for a yummy dinner and a fun evening. We had a fantastic day!

Acts 2 and 3...

We had a beautiful and relaxing Brunch with Ted's parents Easter morning. The table was decorated so pretty and we all loved the french toast and ham. The girls enjoyed their treats and the fact they could have as many jelly beans as they wished. It was so funny because even though I told them they could eat without having to ask, they asked me every single time. Love that! Thanks Grandpa Bob and Grandma Kay for a
wonderful morning.

We then headed to Grandpa Mike's house for some more Easter Treats. Thank you Grandpa Mike for the Easter Baskets. We are having so much fun playing with the toys!

The easter scavenger hunt. Follow the bunny trail...

This year the Easter Bunny put on a scavenger hunt for the girls to find their missing baskets. They had to search everywhere from where do we keep the dog food to where are your toothbrushes kept. The girls absolutely loved this. They worked together and finally read all the clues and found their baskets in their old playroom. Which is now Mom's playroom. This was just act one of our Easter Eggtravaganza. We still had to head down south for acts 2-4.

Easter traditions....

Coloring Easter eggs. This year we also painted a few.

It is 4pm on Monday, the day after Easter and Jill has finally come down from her sugar high. That girl was wound up like a top yesterday but had a great time playing with her cousins! More details from our fabulous weekend to folow soon. Off to cook dinner now!

First Garden and Rain Barrel...

This is my first attempt at a vegetable garden. Ted built me a beautiful raised garden box and the girls and I have filled it with carrots, snap peas, broccoli, cauliflower, onions and zucchini. Even if we only get a few things out of it I think it is worth it. The girls are thrilled with their garden and I am hoping this encourages more vegetables in their tummies!
We also got our first rain barrel. Since we are in the watershed the city supplied us with one. We hope to add more but the other ones we need are a custom order so we will have to wait for those.

It's 2pm and my kids are....

still in their pajamas. We declared today, the last day of spring break, as "Kid's Choice". They get to determine the agenda, decided what to eat and choose their outfits. They, of course, wanted to stay in their jammies. Works for me! This morning my neighbor called and said her kids were also still not dressed so we decided to have a Pajama Playdate. After the playdate and lunch we decided to bake and decorate easter cookies. Now the girls are playing upstairs and I have just cleaned the kitchen. I love that the most simple things bring them so much joy.

Spring Break....

So the girls and I headed out late yesterday to see some friends and hit the zoo today. The animals were out and about today. We had a great time playing and even ran into some Bellingham friends there. Love the Woodland Park Zoo!

Easter Party...

We were lucky enough to be invited to yet another neighborhood Easter activity. This time at our BFF's Emma and Hazel's house. The afternoon was full of egg crafts, sack races and a treasure hunt. So much fun! I love our neighbors and all of the new friends we have made here. So lucky we are!!

Jungle Playground...

We headed south last week with our friends Billy and Brady to the much talked about Jungle Playground. It was so much fun! The kids ran and ran for hours. Completely wiped and sweaty when we finally headed home. This is a fun family place. Can't wait to go again!

Easter Egg Hunt...

Our neighbors the W's had a fun Easter Egg Hunt at their house last weekend. It was a beautiful sunny day spent relaxing, snacking and visiting with neighbors. The girls had a ball as Ms. Robin always treats them to something sweet.