Visitors!

We’ve been looking forward to my brother and his family visiting for months (at least it seems like it’s been months). He was drawn up here by a concert-of-sorts. Whatever the reason we were excited to have visitors. The last of my siblings to visit was four years ago… so it was a visit long overdue. This was the first time my brother’s wife Cammy and their two kids had ever been to Seattle. They were only here for three days – arriving early Thursday morning and leaving Saturday night (Cammy is superwoman and drove from Utah through the night).

The cousins meshed perfectly and had lots of time at the house to play games, do crafts, and play at the park. Cammy was also nice enough to paint the girls toenails, do their hair, and make special egg-free cupcakes with Abigail (I told you she was superwoman).

We’ve lived in Snoqualmie now for almost three months and I think it had been over six years since I’d visited Snoqualmie Falls. Shameful! It is gorgeous and only minutes from our house.

Unfortunately, the trail to the bottom of the falls is undergoing construction until 2013 so we couldn’t get any closer. So glad we decided to go anyhow.

Justin was able to take Friday off so we spent the entire day in Seattle. Our first stop was the Locks. When we arrived there were some beautiful boats heading out to sea. Oh, how I wished they would have offered us a little spin around the ocean. The tide was high so we couldn’t see the fish actually jumping the ladders, but there were plenty to watch through the windows below. Katie was very excited and stood by the windows squealing with delight. Based on her reaction we’re thinking we need to take her to the zoo soon.

We ate lunch near Pikes Place Market and walked around a bit. I was surprised how crowded it was and with six kiddos to keep track of we didn’t stay very long.

The produce is beautiful

Cammy bought some delicious peaches to share with us (I was surprised to find out the peaches weren’t locally grown)

Below is my sad attempt at getting a group shot. I blame it on my subjects that didn’t catch on that I had crossed the street, changed my lens, and was attempting to get them to gather closer for a snapshot.

After the market we walked along the pier. I brought along some bread so we could feed the seagulls. Jason was in heaven and loved throwing the bread at the birds.

This might be the first time we have had company and haven’t eaten at Ivars (poor Justin)

The birds can be quite aggressive. One bit Cammy and another swiped Abigail’s entire piece of bread from her hand. They just sit along the rail intimidating all those brave enough to eat outside.

The traffic getting out of downtown was crazy and it started to rain, but we stuck with our plan to visit Alki Beach anyhow. Thankfully, by the time we got there the rain had let up.

Raymond, Cammy, Savanna and Jayden

Jason and Jayden enjoyed throwing anything and everything into the water.

On the way home Jason kept commenting about how much fun it was. We really need to get that boy to Hawaii!

Saturday was a pretty relaxing day. The kids were having so much fun that doing a big day trip wasn’t necessary. We did a few little hikes nearby, played games, and ate yummy food.

I was hoping Ray’s kids would be able to see some of our deer while they were here. An added bonus was seeing one of the new baby fawns.

The kids followed the deer and fawn until they jumped out of sight. Katie was strapped in her stroller, but was also very excited.

The kids were sad to see our visitors leave. We had such a great time and hope Ray stands by what he said and comes again soon!

Father's Day

I had an awesome Father’s Day. That doesn’t sound quite how it’s supposed to, does it? The potential for a stressful day was there. The previous week was full of stressful situations – old house drama, new house drama, last week of school busyness, etc… We woke up late Sunday morning giving us only 45 minutes to wake the kids up and get out the door for 9am church. I came home from church with a terrible headache and Justin’s requested Father’s Day menu required 4+ hours in the kitchen. But somehow the day was great.

We still made it to church 10 minutes before the meeting began.

Katie was content enough to allow me to sit through most of the lessons at church. In Relief Society the teacher had the following quote written on the board from F. Burton Howard:

“If you want something to last forever, you treat it differently... it becomes special because you made it so”

Her lesson was a reminder of the importance of family togetherness.

At home and in between dinner preparations, I creamed Justin and the girls in a game of Phase 10 Twist.

Proving my love for the father of my kiddos I cooked my first pork tenderloin. While dinner was time-consuming it all turned out great (or so I’m told – I don’t eat pork and I opted for more potatoes instead of salad). Justin was impressed enough with the entire spread that he insisted we take a picture of it before digging in.

We invited Justin’s parents over for dinner. They stayed for several hours afterward and we enjoyed having them here. We are a game playing family. Abigail challenged (and defeated) Grandpa in a game of checkers and the kids played games with their grandparents while Justin and I cleaned up the kitchen.

Justin didn’t take the day off claiming it as his special day – he was always nearby asking what he could do to help out and as usual helped with all the dishes and cleanup. I’m a lucky girl.

Even after only taking an hour nap after church instead of the usual two naps of 2-3 hours each Katie was happy enough that she was able to stay up with the rest of the kiddos until nearly 9pm.

We are grateful that we could spend Father’s day with Justin’s Dad. He’s an awesome Grandpa and has always been so generous – I’m especially grateful for how generous he is with his compliments. During dinner he told Carly that she has gorgeous eyes (she lit up with joy). As Abigail was playing the piano he complimented her on the beautiful young woman she’s becoming. We are blessed to have him so close by.

I thought it would be a fun tradition to take a picture of Justin and the kids each Father’s Day, but I still haven’t got around to it. Instead here’s a picture of the young man I married just a few months after this picture was taken.

We’re blessed to have him.

Firsts

Where were my friends and family when Jason was a year old and looked like this?

Cute as he may be - someone should have told us to cut his hair LONG before this.

Which is basically what Justin did on Sunday when he suggested “we” (meaning yours truly) should start doing something with Miss Katie’s hair.

There isn’t much there - just enough to gather her little rooster tail into a teeny-tiny ponytail.

Our Pianists

The girls had their piano recital last night at a little Methodist Chapel in town. Carly just started taking lessons last month and I’m so proud of her for already being brave enough to perform in a recital setting. Abigail has been taking lessons now for just over a year and surprised many with how well she plays in such a short time. They both love to play the piano and we love having our home filled with their music.

The girls playing their duet of “Mary had a little lamb” – Oh, and they were told they had to wear a flower in their hair… above is the best I can do

Below is the video of their performance for their grandparents and Dad (who at the last minute ended up staying home to deal with a defiant son). I asked the young girl sitting in front of me to videotape their performances so I could take pictures – so it’s a little wobbly in places. Abigail and Carly did a great job – if you’ve got an ear for music you’ll notice a few little spots they hesitated, but for only having a few weeks to practice I was a very proud Mom.

It’s a little lengthy, but the entire recital was over an hour and a half so you’re lucky to be viewing the best without all the rest :)

Who would have thought Justin and I could produce children with musical talent!

Bike Rodeo

Yesterday afternoon we attended “The Tanner Jeans Memorial Bike Safety Rodeo” created & sponsored by a local family whose child was killed when he was hit by a car while riding his bike. Apparently this is the seventh year the event has been held. We contemplated riding our bikes to the event (seeing as how it was a “biking” event), but we weren’t sure we’d be able to pedal ourselves back up our hill to get home afterward.

We did bring our helmets though so our local police department could inspect them. Both Jason and Carly received outstanding praise for wearing their helmet snug and proper. I have been known to be a “car seat Nazi” and I’m just as strict about bike/scooter safety. Abigail’s helmet had a small crack in it so she was offered a new one of her choosing.

We hope to get back into doing more family bike rides now that Katie is old enough to sit in the bike trailer. They gave us the cutest little helmet for Katie.

Next year we’ll definitely bring our bikes with us. The police set up a large course to teach kids how to ride their bikes safely. They had crosswalks and roundabouts painted on the ground and stop signs at pretend intersections. The police took the kids through each scenario and taught them one-on-one how to ride safely. I was really impressed.

The entire event was free – including hot dogs, drinks, chips, and treats for lunch. Even the helmets were free - getting two nice, new helmets (and eating plenty of hot dogs and chips) prompted us to make a donation.

The kids each got t-shirts too.

While we were there the kids were also able to get their faces painted. The girls have had their face painted before but never like this. These gals (all dressed as clowns) were supreme face painters – the best of the best. The line was long but definitely worth the wait.

Abigail picked out one of the full-face designs

She looked awesome!

Carly went for something much more dainty, but also cute.

Jason was reluctant at first, but a super nice clown-painter sold him on the dinosaur design.

Jason sat very still while she worked her magic

She asked him what color he wanted the dinosaur and to our surprise he choose pink.

He was so happy with it that I think next year we’ll be able to convince him to get his full face done.

Our last activity before we left to get our exhausted baby (and Jason... and Daddy) down for a nap was the bouncy toys.

Awesome afternoon – we’re already looking forward to next year!

Happy Feet

We’ve met several couples lately that have chosen not to have children. Sure I can see the appeal of successful careers and the freedom that comes from not having anyone to care for besides oneself, but man are they missing out. I love being a Mom and there’s nothing I’d rather be doing. My kiddos bring JOY and LOVE into my life I don’t think can be experienced otherwise.

Miss Katie has been such a giggly girl lately and will often just walk around the house cracking herself up.

She has also become steady enough on her feet to start training her for soccer greatness.

The Eight Year Gap

I have a sister that has four kids – just like me. To get her four children she was only pregnant for 72 weeks while I had to endure 156 weeks to get mine (that’s an additional YEAR and almost 8 months). You see, her first, second, and third children share the same birthday. She got a 3 for 1 deal.

My sister and I both had our first child when we were 24 years old, her fourth was born when she was just 26 – my fourth was born just shy of my 33rd birthday. (And let me tell you being pregnant and having a baby at 33 was a lot tougher than being pregnant at 24.)

I like to give her a hard time, but to be honest triplets would likely have sent me to the loony bin. Thankfully we have a Heavenly Father that only sends us what we can handle. My sister is superwoman though and besides that she was blessed with the sweetest most well behaved trio.

How these babies could be entering junior high this fall blows my mind!

No doubt there are advantages and disadvantages to both scenarios. I certainly don’t wish for a different scenario than I’ve been blessed with. I LOVE that I still have a chubby baby toddling around the house and if I could freeze time I would – I’m in no hurry to see any of my children grow beyond the stage they are in now.

With that said though my sister does have a few advantages – for example her four children are only 26 months apart so their abilities and interests are pretty similar. This past week she took her four kids to Disneyland on her own. My oldest two are also only 26 months apart, but there is over 8 years between Abigail and Katie. This makes it a little more difficult to find enjoyable activities that appeal to each of our children.

Last night we decided to appeal to the younger kids and went to a nearby Children’s Museum offering free admission. The girls were a bit too old for a lot of the activities, but thankfully they found enjoyment in helping their younger siblings have a great time.

Afterward we redeemed a few free kid’s meals at Red Robin and topped off the evening at Krispy Kreme for a free donut of our choosing – in celebration of National Donut Day. Now that’s an activity that appeals to all ages! Yum, yum!

unSETTLEing

We’ve been in our new house for 2 months. TWO MONTHS and we still have boxes throughout the house.

Yesterday Justin got the rest of our stuff out of storage. Stuff we haven’t seen in over 6 months. Stuff we really haven’t missed. Now we have even more boxes to unpack.

I don’t understand why it is taking us so long to get settled. It really doesn’t feel like two months, two weeks - yes, two months - certainly not, for surely after two months your home wouldn’t look like this:

Katie however was quite pleased this morning to discover a shopping cart amongst the cardboard towers.

What's for Dinner?

I am not a cook. I never have been. I can follow a recipe, but I don’t have the ability to taste something and know what ingredient would make it better. There’s no improvising. Thankfully I’ve had friends and family share some of their fabulous recipes with me, but we need more (please email me some of your favorites - I’d be forever grateful). Anyhow, I don’t cook everyday, but I made a goal that after the move I would try to cook more often. So I’m trying a new recipe every week. Last night I tried something new and LOVED it. Since I’m always grateful for a good recipe I thought I’d post it here.

Pasta With Mascarpone, Chicken, Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Spinach

I wish I would have taken a picture of our dinner – it looked way more delicious than the picture above.

Its only drawback is that contains ingredients most of us wouldn’t have just sitting around at home so it takes some planning ahead of time.

Below is my version (click here for original version from Italian Food Forever) – mine is slightly different based on what I have on hand and what I was able to find at the store (The only sun-dried tomatoes I found at the store were in a small package. They go a long way though so I still have enough to make this at least one more time.)

8 Ounces Mascarpone Cheese At Room Temperature

2 T. Lemon Juice

3/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper

2 Chicken Breasts, Cleaned Of Fat And Cut Into 1 Inch Dice (or bit smaller)

1 1/2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Cloves Garlic, Peeled & Minced

Salt & Pepper

1/3 Cup Chopped Sun-Dried Tomatoes

1 (6 Ounce) Bag Baby Spinach

1 (500 Gram) Package Pasta

To Serve:

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Combine the lemon juice, mascarpone, and pepper in a bowl, and whisk to combine. Bring a pasta pot of salted water to boil. While waiting on the water, heat the oil in a skillet, and cook the chicken until it is cooked through and just beginning to brown. Add the garlic and cook another minute or two. Season with salt and pepper. Cook the pasta until al dente, taking it off the heat about 1 to 2 minutes before you would normally remove it. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Return the pasta to the pot, and set over medium heat. Stir in the mascarpone and lemon mixture, the chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach. Loosen the sauce with about 1/4 cup of the water and toss all over the ingredients together until the spinach has wilted and everything is piping hot, adding a little additional pasta water if needed (I added a little water several times to keep moist). Serve immediately, topped with grated cheese.

Let me know if you give it a try and if you have any recommendations – but really, I’m not sure it can get much better.

Mount Si: Take One

Quick Sick Update: Thankfully whatever bug we had is short-lived and nobody was sick for more than 18 hours. Abigail is the only one that didn't get sick - hopefully it stays that way! For now towels remain in the upstairs hall and around all children’s beds.

Last week we had a few beautiful days. It was the first time Seattle has reached 70 degrees all year – that sounds so pitiful to be thrilled with 70 degrees, but we’ve had such a wet winter/spring that it was fantastic.

Wednesday evening we decided to hike nearby Mount Si – we knew we wouldn’t make it to the top, but we were planning to hike up a mile or so to Snag Flat and then turn around and head back down.

All smiles before starting our hike

We’d read online that it’s a steep, rocky climb and found that to be very true.

It was beautiful

After we’d been on the trail for 45 minutes the girls were dragging. We had a decision to make – either buck up and keep climbing or turn around and head back down.

Katie was a trooper although after an hour she was ready to get unhitched

We went a little further then decided to turn around. At the time it was a little disappointing because we expected to see Snag Flat at any moment. We’ve since learned that Snag Flat was much further up than we thought so it was never just around the bend.

My legs were so itchy coming down the mountain I was in serious pain. Did you know I’m allergic to exercise? It’s sad, but true. If you think I’m joking just Google it.

The girls and I were glad to get back to the trailhead and rest

Jason was our untiring hiker and is proud to claim that he is the “best hiker” in the family – much to the dislike of his older sisters. He was always at the front leading us onward.

First attempt at Mount Si was unsuccessful… we’ll try again

some day...

A Sick Day

We’re passing around a little stomach bug

I don’t think there is much worse than a sick child that doesn’t understand (or is unable) to rush to the toilet before their entire insides insist on resurfacing.

So we are covering our bases

And doing a lot of this

Katie was stuck at home today with two sick siblings and a mommy with a migraine so she was thrilled when Abigail finally got home from school

Tomorrow is bound to be better

May Moments

We’ve finally seen some sun around here which is wonderful. There is one drawback though… around 6am the sun is shining right in my slumbering face. Needless to say the kids are up early. This morning we had a full two hours before the girls needed to leave for school. Time to get serious about getting some window coverings.

Katie’s current window treatments – a broken down packing box and an old vacuum box from Grandma Fletcher

We have a bunch of little birds constantly flying around our house. I think they are pretty cool and I love to hear them chirping away – it makes it almost believable that it may be spring. Problem is they don’t seem to rest. It can be 11pm and I can still hear them chirping. They are so loud we thought they must have a nest someplace on our property, but we don’t have any trees large enough. Last night Carly came downstairs nearly an hour after she’d gone to bed and asked about the birds making so much noise.

Katie is walking more and more – like across an entire room. And she’s moving quickly. Does that make her a toddler? I’m in denial that I’m in denial.

Last weekend was the annual Lakeland Hills garage sale. As Justin helped me load the van the night before he asked me if I really thought it was worth it since I didn’t really have much to sell – mostly just a bunch of old kids clothes. He asked me how much I was hoping to make to make it worth my time. I told him if I came home with $100 I’d be happy. This was the first year I’ve sold on a Friday and I’m so glad I did. By the time I called it quits on Friday I’d already pocketed over $150. Combined with the sells from Saturday it was over $250. I’d call that a successful weekend especially considering I didn’t have any big ticket items.

Again, I totally slacked taking pictures, but I took the picture above off my SIL’s blog. She comes down every year with a bunch of her friends to shop, shop, shop. With hundreds of homes selling stuff you can find just about anything. It really is an insane weekend.

Justin took Jason camping on Friday night while the girls and I crashed at our old house. Definitely a little strange to be camping out in an empty house, but it made it easy to wake up and already be there for the garage sale.

The girls started piano lessons this month. The teacher offers a little discount if you have more than one child taking lessons so we decided to start Carly. She was so excited and is doing great. Immediately after her first lesson she broke down in tears because she didn’t know how to play the songs she was given to practice. I had to explain to her that she wasn’t expected to know them right away and that she has a week to practice them before her next lesson. My girls place so much pressure on themselves!

The girls’ piano teacher brought her bird over last week. Abigail let the bird sit on her shoulder while she read a book during Carly’s entire lesson. Carly wasn’t near as tolerant. Once the bird started nibbling on her hair and face Carly was done.

Jason has started speech therapy in our new district and I was hoping we could somehow get him into pre-school through the district next year. Unfortunately (Fortunately) he is doing so awesome that there is no way he would qualify in fact we aren’t even sure he’ll need any speech help next fall. He has made HUGE improvements this past year, but now I need to figure out if we’ll look (and pay) for a pre-school on our own.

We’ve been in our ward for almost 2 months now and still don’t have callings – word has it though that our new bishop called our old bishop to get the scoop on us. I’m hoping our old bishop and friend explained that I don’t like to speak, teach, plan anything creative or cutesy, or take care of children. We did get cornered into speaking this next Sunday which I’m totally dreading.

To say we’ve been in our new house for almost 2 months is SHOCKING - really, that sounds so long and it doesn’t feel possible.

I was spotlighted in the RS Newsletter this month at church. They gave me a series of questions to answer, do you think it gives an accurate representation of me?

I think it was quite boring, so I guess that’s probably a yes. :)