Birthday Surprises

My cousin, Katryn, came in from Texas this week to surprise our grandma for her birthday. We joined the family for dinner in Edmonds on a perfect night to be at the waterfront.



The birthday girl sat next to Kaitlyn at dinner, and when Kaitlyn dropped her shoe (or her "Croc Shoe" as she calls it), Grandma hooked it with her cane to return it. You know it only took once for K to turn this into a game. And so it continued through much of dinner, much to a certain little girl's delight.
I love, love this picture. The looks on both of their faces are priceless!






Kaitlyn entertained herself quite well with DIY bongo drums:



After dinner, we headed for a walk by the water:



I have come to terms with the fact that, with two young kids, it is just too much work to get everyone to look at the camera. So, I have resorted to choosing the ones in which Jeff and I look good. ;-) (What?)



She insisted on this outfit that morning. Said, "This is my princess dress." The skirt is too big by iteself, so the solution was to put pants under it to hold it up. I, for one, think it's cute and makes a bold statement of character. ;-)





I feel lucky to not only be Katryn's cousin, but her friend as well. She's a beautiful, fun-loving, intelligent gal, whom I love spending time with when I can.



My brudder :-)



Can't be at the waterfront without the obligatory ferry picture:



This girl LOVES to be outside. Begs for it. Cries when you bring her inside. Would stay outside all day if she could. She is our free little bird. :-) Just look at how happy she is:



We have a lot to be happy about, even if every day isn't as beautiful as this one.

Girls Weekend, Toddler Style

Jeff went golfing with his buddies at Alta Lake last weekend while the girls and I stayed home.
We had a pretty typical girls weekend...

Went shopping, and spent some time in the shoe department:


After shoe shopping, we decided to hang at the mall for a while:





Dressed in our favorite outfits and posed for pictures:



Danced the night away:




We didn't have a pillow fight, but we did go to the fabric store to pick out fabric for special pillow cases (close enough, right?):





I found this fun, easy "tube pillow case" pattern on YouTube:



After you sew the tube, pull the middle out:



That gives you a cute ribbon between the main case and lining:



Sew the end and side, and you have easy, cute pillow cases for two excited girls!




(Don't forget your helper)



It's not a girls weekend without some mischief:



Sleeping bags, a movie, and popcorn is a must. Kaitlyn and I slept down in the living room that night:



And a couple of not-so-typical activities to make it our own:







We went down to my grandparents' house one last time before it was officially put on the market (more on that later):



And there you have it. We missed Daddy like crazy, but our girls weekends are pretty special, too. :)

The Greatest Journey (Happy Mother's Day!)

I have been trying to come up with the words to explain how much being a mother has fulfilled me, changed me, completed me, etc., etc., etc., but all my tired brain can come out with is that it has been the greatest journey...and there is so much for to come.



Happy Mother's Day to all of the mommies out there who are overwhelmed with love and completeness.

Spontaneity and "Coming Home"

Something I miss from "the old days" (what? I'm 30!!) is the freedom to be spontaneous. Now, with young kids and full time jobs, the spontaneous moments are more few and far between. It has become a rare occasion to get together with friends on a whim because schedules are full, plans are already made, naps or bedtime are impending. This means that those last-minute events are just that much more appreciated.

Last weekend, Jeff and I decided at about 10:00 on Saturday morning that we wanted to go somewhere and just "get out" for a day. An hour later, we were in the car with haphazardly packed bags and two girls who were up for the adventure because they don't know any better. We drove over the mountains river (and through the woods, actually) to Chelan. Nothing says "escape" to me like Chelan. I breathe more freely, smile more easily, and feel an extra skip in my step. Yes, I know I'm being dramatic and cheesy, but I just love that place and every feeling and memory it releases in me. It's like coming home.

By the time we hit the pass, Austen was making it clear that she didn't think it was fair that Kaitlyn could see the DVD player and she couldn't. So, we made a pit stop for Jeff to turn her car seat around. She thought sitting in the driver's seat for 7 minutes was the coolest thing since pureed bananas.



A girl just cannot go to Chelan without some new shades:



I love to catch Austen with this look of "I bet my big sis could walk on water..." They aren't hard to catch.



Yes, please:





This girl...there are no words:

;

Ditto:



Let's see...is she her daddy's daughter? Yep:







I just want to cry love the fact that Kaitlyn is old enough to make little friends wherever we go. Guess how many times she looked back to be sure Mommy and Daddy were still there?



Love my Toms. And I'll keep talking about it until I get sick of them.




If I ever want a glimpse into the teenage years, I need only look at this picture ("You hang up first. No, YOU hang up first...heeheehee!")


That blur on the right would be Jeff flying onto the bed to the delight of his youngest daughter (I believe Kaitlyn is still talking to her boyfriend)



Sighhh...I love having daughters:



It's not a getaway without a free breakfast:


Seriously, when did this little girl get so grown up?!



Not too mature for some fun with Daddy's socks:




Then we came home, pulled out the bouncy house, and had a nice evening to top off a great weekend:


Thank you to Uncle Rob for the bubble machine!

Austen loves to be held...she lets you know by putting her arms up and saying "dup, dup!" How could you not?!

Who says you can't be spontaneous with toddlers? There might be more pit stops, bags, and parks, but it's not lost!