Easter Party!

We had such a fun morning this morning! For a couple weeks now we've been planning our Easter party, and today was the day! Several of Ellie and Parker's friends came over and we colored Easter pictures, decorated eggs, ate lots of yummy snacks, had an Easter egg hunt and played a lot! We had a wonderful time!

Ellie and Parker wore their Easter clothes. They looked so great!

So many yummy things to eat (there are LOTS of left-overs to enjoy for the next few days)!

I made little Easter baskets for party favors, and the kids helped me paint a bunch of coffee filters, which we put chocolates in and tucked in the baskets.


I think the kids all had fun decorating Easter eggs! They colored them with crayons and then dyed them.

"Mmm! Good cupcakes, Mom!"

Parker enjoyed all his snacks!

A time to shine!

We celebrate Halloween in our family. I know that this holiday can be a little controversial, but we have always chosen to celebrate it. Now, we don't ever celebrate in scary ghost, witch, or skeleton ways. And we don't teach our children that this is an "evil" holiday (we don't believe it is, unless it's celebrated that way). But we use even this holiday as a way to teach our children about the God who loves them. For the past two weeks of preschool, Ellie has been learning about why being a Christian is like being a pumpkin. We have a cute little poem that we read each day at the end of school: "Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin. God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washed all the dirt off of you. Then He cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, and greed, carves you a new smiling face, and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see." We talk about what each part of this poem means, and how God is always changing us and making us more like Him. It has been a great tool.

Fun at the pumpkin patch!

Ellie and Parker each made their own homemade pumpkins during preschool.

Of course some of our celebration is just for fun! Our church puts on a Trunk or Treat party, and we had a lot of fun going around the parking lot and getting candy from each of the cleverly decorated cars. Parker dressed up as a pumpkin and Ellie was a bride. They were both super cute (of course)! And they now have enough candy to last them a LONG time:)

Cute little pumpkin, Parker Paul!

The beautiful bride, Ellie!

Halloween can be a time to shine in dark places. As Christians, I believe that we are called to do just that:)

Rainy Days:)

Fall is absolutely my favorite season! I love the cooler weather because I get to wear sweaters. I love the smells, both outside and in (fall inspires me to bake quite a bit, and when I'm not baking I usually have a "fall-ish" candle burning). I love the beautiful colors, and although nothing can beat the beauty of central Washington in the fall, I'm really seeing a lot of beauty here, too. I think the colors come on the trees a little later here, and they are now becoming very pretty! I love knowing that Christmas is just around the corner, and starting on Christmas crafts. I love being cozy inside and drinking coffee, hot cocoa, tea, or carmel apple cider. I think I could go on and on, I just LOVE fall:)

We have a maple tree in our yard that is turning a beautiful red!

Now that we live on the west side of the mountains, we are experiencing the wetter side of life! I am happy to have a winter with less snow, and hopefully we won't get too sick of the rain! Right now I'm enjoying it. I grew up with weather similar to what we have now, and it's kind of nice to be back in the rain. As crazy as it sounds, I really missed it when we lived on the east side and didn't get very much rain. Ellie and Parker really enjoy playing in the rain and stomping in puddles! Ellie is the only one in the family with a rain coat and umbrella, though, so we may need to purchase a few more for the rest of us.

Ellie and Parker LOVE playing outside in the rain!

Yay! I painted our living room a couple weeks ago! I really think it looks a lot nicer now. It makes me excited to paint another room, but it took 17 hours to finish the living room, with prepping the walls, priming, and painting, so I'm going to rest a little more before beginning the next room! I've been waiting to put up pictures until I paint each room, so once a room is painted and has the pictures on the walls, it feels so much more like home:)

Doesn't the paint lighten up the room?

I am so thankful for the blessings in my life. I pray that you are counting your blessings, too. They are there, we sometimes just need to take the time to see them:)

Preschool, kittens, and more!

Well, we've had a fairly busy past week. Last week Ellie started homeschool preschool three mornings a week. It's been a really fun experience for both Ellie and I so far. She's so smart, and she's really doing well with school. She absolutely loves to learn! It's a little tough keeping Parker entertained sometimes while we do school, but for the most part he does great with some cars, coloring pages, or puzzles. I also try to let him be involved in the schooling whenever possible, which he likes a lot. It's fun to have a little bit more of a schedule now (although we still haven't completely settled on which three mornings we'll do school), and I hope to get our schedule even a little more organized in these next few weeks!

Ellie is great at saying the Pledge of Allegiance!

Last Friday the kids and I headed over the mountains for a wedding. Ellie was the flower girl, and she was absolutely precious! When she got to the front of the audience, she opted to come and sit with me rather than standing up front. As soon as the bride started down the aisle, with the wedding march playing, Ellie said to me (in a very loud voice), "Mom, they're playing Farmer in the Dell!" Unfortunately I forgot my camera at home, so I have no pictures except a few low-quality ones on my phone. Hopefully someone else took some, and will give me a few:)

On our way home on Sunday we stopped and picked up our newest addition to our family - a sweet little kitten! Her name is Rose (Ellie's suggestion), and she is very cute. Ellie and Parker both love her, but she's not so sure how she feels about them! So far she likes to spend a good portion of the day hiding under Jared and my bed. Whenever she's out, though, Parker is chasing after her, or holding her if he manages to catch her. He is not super gentle, but we're working on it! Ellie, on the other hand, is very soft and sweet with the kitty. We're really enjoying Rose.

Horses!

This past week the kids and I went to Oregon to visit family. The kids had a blast on my mom's farm, as always. But this time we did something a little different. We all rode horses! As a kid, I used to ride all the time. I loved it. And now, so many years later, I miss it. There were a few years recently when I couldn't really ride, either because of being pregnant or having very small children who needed my attention all the time. But I realized recently that it would be a wonderful idea to start riding again. My sister still has a few horses which are very well trained. So...even though it's been YEARS since I've been on a horse, I still feel somewhat confident on them. One evening my sister, my niece, and I went out and saddled up the horses (well, actually my niece rode bare-back, which I think is pretty neat). We rode a few times around the field while the kids watched with Grandma. We mostly walked, but we did trot and even gallop for a short time. It was a great time of riding to get back into it. The kids enjoyed watching, but really wanted to get on the horses themselves. So after several times around the field we got off and let the kids ride. They LOVED it! Last summer Ellie tried riding once, but once she got onto the horse's tall back she was frightened and didn't want the horse to move. And Parker had never been on a horse. But they both enjoyed it so much this time. It was already past there bedtime, so the rides were fairly short, but they both wanted to stay on longer. It was such a fun time, and we've decided to make this a tradition whenever we go stay with my mom. Someday I hope to be able to have a horse or two, but for now we're so thankful to my sister for sharing hers with us when we come to visit.

Lake Chelan

During the summer our camp goes to Lake Chelan once a week for "Lake Day." Of course, the kids and I try not to miss a Lake Day. We love going! It's a chance for us to see Jared, during a season when that's somewhat rare. Plus, it's just really fun. The water is great for swimming; there is a huge grassy area where we like to play, eat, and take rests; and there is a great playground. Not to mention all the camp staff, who make the days very fun for my kids. They love Ellie and Parker, and Ellie and Parker love them, too. We have had two Lake Days so far this summer - tomorrow is the third. Last week there was extra room on the camp bus, so the kids and I rode on the bus. I was a little nervous, but the kids did great, and had a great time! At first Ellie was a little afraid of all the noise that the big kids were making, but soon they brought out a guitar and sang praise songs, and my kids sang right along! Ellie and Parker didn't know the words to many of the songs, but still they sang loudly! Last week Jared brought our sailboat to the lake, and Ellie and Parker got to take their first ride on it. They did great, and loved it! It will be so much fun when they're a little older and we can all sail as a family often. Lake Days are a fun time for all of us, and I think the kids will have wonderful memories of these great summer days!

Thankfulness

The past few days I've been feeling whiny. I really haven't felt like I should sit and write anything while I was feeling that way. But I've decided instead of avoiding this blog, I will attempt to list 10 things I'm thankful for. It will give me something positive to write about, and possibly even change my mood in the process. So here goes...

10 Things I'm Thankful For (not in any particular order):

1. The beautiful wildflowers we see and pick every day. Thanks to an extra rainy spring, they are extra beautiful this year.

2. That my kids get along (most of the time). While it often irritates me that they spend so much time at night giggling when they should be sleeping, it does mean that they enjoy each other's company. I know they love each other very much.

3. A wonderful, almost traffic-free place to run in the spring, summer, and fall (just too much snow and ice to run in the winter).

4. A healthy body that allows me to run, and to play with my kids.
5. A God who loves me and gives me a new start daily.

6. My husband, who loves me in spite of my crankiness, and who makes me proud every day.

7. My MOPS group, which has meant the world to me these past few years.

8. Friends who encourage me, challenge me, lift me up in prayer, support me, and love me.

9. The most comfy bed ever.

10. Living where there is lots of space outdoors for my kids to play.

Hey, I feel better already! It helps me so much to look at all the great things in life, rather than focusing on the things I wish I could change. I wish it came more naturally to me to see all that I have to be thankful for. But I'm challenged, knowing that the more often I practice this exercise, the more natural it will become. I think I'll try to make these "Thankfulness lists" a regular thing!

Camping!!!

This is our last week before the craziness of summer camps, so we decided to take a night and go camping on Monday night. We got a new "family tent" this past winter at Cabela's, to use in place of our little 2-man tent for now. We tried to surprise the kids, but they heard us talking about tents and figured it out. They were so excited to go camping! Our first stop was Walmart, to pick up air mattresses, a tarp, and a few other things we needed for the trip. Then it was off to the campground. It was a campground that I had never been to, and Jared had been to years ago (it was his suggestion - thanks, Hon!). It's right on a lake, and there are tennis courts, a soccer field, volleyball nets, a big playground, a nice place to swim, lots of area to run around. It was perfect! We had such a wonderful time. It was just nice being away together as a family, since I know we won't see much of Jared this summer. The weather was really nice and warm when we arrived, and got super windy that night. The next morning was not quite as warm, but still wonderful. Parker didn't sleep real well, so we were all pretty tired yesterday, but it was so worth it! I love camping, and it's something I want my kids to grow up loving, too.Jared "roasted" marshmallows over our camp stove for s'mores, because we forgot to bring any wood for a fire!What a sweet smile! Parker sure loved the playground!Ellie really enjoyed the obstacle course on the playground. At first she wanted Jared's help, but before long she could do it all herself! It was a real confidence booster for her.Both of our kids really love to climb. They liked having so many things to climb (including some boulders right in our campsite!).

Parker is a fair-weather water boy. He enjoyed playing near the water, but wouldn't go in because it was too cold.

Ellie loved getting in the water, even though it was pretty cold. She's our little water lover!

Jared and Parker sleeping in the morning - what sweet angels!

Flowers and waterfalls

There is a beautiful spot near our home (one of many), where every year there are thousands of flowers blooming. We live near a meadow, and at one end of the meadow there is a sea of blue, purple, and yellow. Each year I think that I should take the kids' pictures in the flowers, and then somehow each year it remains just an idea. Well, yesterday I decided that I'd better take the opportunity while the flowers are in bloom. So the kids and I took a walk (about 1 1/2 miles each way), and did an amateur photo shoot. It was a lot of fun! There is also a small waterfall (I don't know if you would even call it that), which we took a few pictures by. The kids wore their rain boots, which was good because it was a fairly swampy area. Ellie was very happy because she got to pick a bouquet of wildflowers (one of her favorite things to do)! Oh, and if you know Ellie, you know that she LOVES to pick out her own outfits (which was the case here)!

Oregon, Part 4

Okay, so life in Oregon got too busy to blog. Now I'll try to go back and remember the details.....

Last Thursday the kids and I met my dad at the playground near his house for a picnic. It was such a blessing that it didn't rain! The kids had a great time, and I know Dad had a lot of fun watching them play on the playground. We went back to Mom's house for naptime, and then drove to visit my sister-in-law, Annie, and her sweet family. She has a 2-year-old daughter, Kya, and Ellie and Parker love to play with her. It's always special to get together with cousins! We played outside in the rain, read books, and had dinner together. It was great to get a chance to visit with Annie for a while.

Friday was "my" day. Mom watched the kids while I went into Portland and got my hair cut and colored, and then went out to sushi with my brother, Rob. It's always great to spend time with Rob. He's an amazing guy, and a very talented hair dresser. Friday evening Ellie had a slumber party with two of her cousins, and I went to visit my sister-in-law, Willy. We had a nice visit, and ended up talking for hours!

Saturday was my niece Lisa's graduation. We had the graduation party at my sister Karey's house. We spent the morning decorating and setting up for the party. Then the graduation in the afternoon, followed by the party. It was the only sunny day while I was in Oregon, which was perfect timing! It was a nice graduation (although it could have done without so many speakers), and the party was a lot of fun. Again, the older cousins played with Ellie and Parker, giving me a chance to just visit!

Sunday we went to church with my mom and my grandma. Ellie was very excited to be able to go to children's church, and Grandma Kathy was the helper, which made it extra special! Sunday afternoon, after naptime, we went to my sister Jill's house for a family gathering of my dad's side. It was great to see all the kids running around, and Ellie and Parker got to hold another baby, their second cousin, Isabelle. We had a b.b.q. and really enjoyed spending time together. Then we went back, the kids went to bed, and I packed up the car.

Monday morning we left at about 4:30 for home. We had an uneventful ride home, and were super excited to get home and smother Jared with hugs and kisses!