Who knew a riding lawn mower was so much fun!? My friend Jess has been letting us stay at her house for quite a long time...so before we left we tried to be helpful around the house. One of the things we did was mow their 1 acre lawn. It was a breeze on their sweet riding mower. All the kids had a ride and then we took turns driving it.
The girls and I headed out to Camano Island again yesterday to visit with my brother and his family. It is soooo beautiful here! We drove this road to the state park and I just died over the lush greenery. I thought it looked so much like a puzzle picture. Anyway, the girls had a lot of fun collecting shells with their cousins and Ava especially enjoyed eating the rocks.
To my great surprise, and old pal Lisa Taylor found me on myspace the other day. I was so excited. We were penpals for quite a few years after I moved away, but I hadn't actually seen her since I was 14 years old. She emailed me and I replied quickly as I am visiting WA right now. We met together the other night and caught up a bit and then I had her over for lunch today. It was great getting to know her again...I missed out on too many years of her life. It's funny that we've both grown and matured in a lot of ways, yet all the personality traits that made us fast friends are still so evidently there. I'm so happy you search me out Lisa! And yes, I'm still mad at you for kissing Donnie! :)
Yesterday the girls put on a dance show on Jess's back porch. We were delivered handmade invitations and front row seats available upon arrival. They each showed off their individual moves and then danced together. Lainie was wearing a horrific wig which I'm sure has seen better days, but still managed to delight the audience (myself and Jess) with her grace and poise. It was a great show.
Yesterday was actually a sunny day! We were so excited and headed out to a park in Lynnwood with a water feature that the kids could run through. Nicole, Jess and I and our 8 kids all went together and had a great time. Afterward we went to the mall-kids in tow-and played in the indoor play area, had a food court dinner, and I purchased the cutest cheapest dress from Forever21. Thanks for the tip Staci!
Jess and I have daughters a week apart. And while they aren't exactly BFF's yet, it's been fun having them together for awhile. Here is Ava and Ruby in the bath right before bedtime.
I know...he's HOT, right!? But...oh so much more than just that. I feel absolutely lucky and sometimes undeserving, of such a great guy. Besides being a great husband, he is my best friend. One, who has taught me many things and who I have come to depend on. And more importantly today, he is a father. "Daddy" to three beautiful girls who adore him. As soon as daddy gets home from work, I do not matter anymore. They run to him and play until it's time for bed. Even Ava won't let go of him. I'm so thankful for Paul and for my own Daddy. (wish I had picture with me to share) Thanks Dad for all you've done for me throughout the years. You are an amazing man. You instilled in me the values that led me to Paul. I thank you for that. I love you both so much. Happy Father's Day!
We spent Father's Day with Paul's sister Nicole and her family. We spent most of our day on the waterfront in Seattle. We visited the Aquarium, the carousel, ate lunch, and bought the most delicious freshly made waffle cones. Although it is June and 105 degrees at home, it was cold here! I am quite impressed though with all of the great indoor activity centers that we have frequented since arriving in my great home state of Washington.
This is our new neice Eliana. She's 3 months old now, but this trip to WA is the first I've seen of her. She is so sweet and so round. We've enjoyed getting to know her while visiting. This particular day was her mom's birthday...Paul's sister, Nicole. Happy Birthday Lady!
We went to a ward carnival yesterday at Jess's church building. It was of course, raining outside so it was nice to get out of the house for a few hours and have some fun with the kids. Jess was there with her kids and my sister-in-law Nicole came as well with her 2 kids John and Eliana. There were musical chairs, a cake walk, bobbing for apples, cotton candy and lots of other fun stuff. We were there just under 2 hours and Anna and I both had a tummy ache by the time we left because of all the candy we ate!
We went to the Everett Children's Museum today on a whim. My sister-in-law, Diedre was picking up her kids and wanted to go on her way home, so we went along with. It's an indoor interactive kids play area. There are tons of individual rooms inside with different themes. Some of the favorites were, the bank room, theatre room, vet room, cafe, water room, train room, gravity room, farm area, and shuttle. We had a great time.
On May 30th we headed out to Camano Island for my brother's birthday celebration. Happy Birthday Matt! They live close to the rocky beaches full of driftwood that make this Island so great. Being back in Washington has been so fun. It is absolutely beautiful here. This time of year it's hard to imagine why I traded this lush greenery for the desert we currently live in. (However, I realize why during the other 9 months of the year.)
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