a week of dates.

Next week it all begins. Spring flag football season and spring soccer season. And guess who is head coaching both teams? Yep, Matt. And who is Team Mom? Yep, me. Throw in a field trip, extra preschool days, cooking lesson at school, board meeting for Matt, school district safety meeting, Rapunzel theatre production, play dates and classmate birthday party and we have a BUSY week ahead! 

So, instead of stressing about that let's just look back at last week and all the fun we had. It included lots of one-on-one time, which is always good for us. 

Simon and I enjoyed a day at home on Wednesday which tends to be his recovery day after a long day at preschool the previous day. We usually read books, eat snacks, clean the house and go for walks. But, he's becoming more independent and wanting to do everything on his own. Like, Cheerios. 

 And then we played a few rounds of Old Maid. He's pretty good too!

 The sun came out so we spent all afternoon at the park after the big kids got out of school. There were about 8 other school friends who happened to show up which was perfect for a huge playdate!

 And then we came home and had homemade banana ice cream for dessert after dinner. This is one of  our favorites! Any extra bananas we have laying around get sliced up and put in the freezer. Then I pull it out at night, blend it with a splash of coconut, cashew or almond milk and it's just as creamy and sweet as regular ice cream! The kids love it and I feel good knowing they are just eating more fruit.

 Matt and I celebrated later that night because Simon finally pooped in the potty! Woohoo!
With all this sunshine we can't help but spend more time outside. A long, long walk for Simon and I with a well deserved trip to the park afterwards.

 And then the weekend came which meant even more dates! Matt and Carter headed out early Saturday morning for a breakfast date and hike at a nearby park. While they were gone Lucy, Simon and I made homemade buttermilk waffles with wild blueberry syrup. I'd say all 3 kids had a pretty great breakfast!

 We spent the rest of the day outside working in the yard. Lucy walked downstairs in this outfit, full accessorized with her necklace and barrette so she could look "fancy" as she worked. Ha! Surprisingly she helped out quite a bit pulling weeds!

And then later that night Matt and I went out for a few hours. Our dinner was awful but walking around afterwards and doing a little shopping made up for it. Definitely won't be returning to that restaurant. I ordered a salad as a dinner entree and ended up with a teeny tiny plate of spinach, cold, under seasoned chicken and an expensive bill. Matt wasn't too happy with his meal either but we made the best of it and enjoyed our time out. 

Guess it looks like our stay in date night with homemade food will be better (and cheaper!) next time!

 Finally, this afternoon I had my final date with Lucy. She had been begging for some girl time so we went out for pizza and pedicures, her choice!

 She is just growing up so fast and any time I can get alone with her I love. While her little toes were getting pained she looked over with a huge smile on her face and whispered, "mom, you're the best!" Love her!

 Oh yeah, besides all the other crazy stuff going on next week we have the science fair too! Sheesh! Carter finished his board today and although it took awhile to finish, he did such a great job working it all out on his own. Off to relax before the crazy Monday begins!

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spring break ball game.

To celebrate one final day of spring break we headed to Safeco Field for a Mariners game. Simon is a diehard baseball fan and the other kids always love going to a game. Plus we were able to get discounted tickets and cheap(er) parking so win win all around!

Simon woke up giddy knowing today was the big game. He excitedly put on his Felix jersey and got even more excited when he heard he'd be pitching today. He makes a pretty cute baseball player (Simon that is, not Felix).

 We wandered around the stadium and visited the team store before finding our seats.

 Simon just stood in awe. Literally. We got up to the 300 level and he just froze, staring over the railing at the field down below, mouth open, no words and just stood still. It took a solid minute before he even realized I was behind him trying to show him where to sit. For the first full inning he didn't move. He didn't want a snack, didn't want to stand up for the National Anthem, didn't want to cheer. He just took in all in. Such a true fan!

 (Sorry these are out of order and well, it's the end of spring break and I'm tired so I don't really care to move them all around). Before the game the kids were able to practice hitting and pitching. So fun!

 Unfortunately we didn't really plan ahead. I did pack a healthy lunch, nutritious snacks and plenty of water. But I completely spaced when it came to WARM clothes! Because April in WA does not always equal sunshine and while it wasn't raining, it definitely wasn't hot either. We were freezing. Well, I was freezing. And Lucy too. Simon was a statue and couldn't tell us either way if he was cold and Carter toughed it out but my fingers and toes were numb. So, Matt went and bought a big blanket for Lucy and I. It helped, but not enough. After the 3rd inning us girls were popsicles and Lucy asked to go back to the car. I happily agreed and while the boys finished watching most of the game we chose to listen to it on the radio from inside the cozy van. Not really what I had in mind for a family day at the baseball field but oh well. Still fun and a great way to end a week together.

Luckily I had meal planned hot soup for dinner and it warmed us all up before we put the kids to bed. Back to routines tomorrow...goodbye spring break!

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final days on the coast.

Our last 2 days at Seabrook were some of my favorite. The weather surprised us and we were able to spend most of our day outside. 

The morning started with the kids helping make breakfast. They love helping me bake and cook and it's been fun to watch them get excited when they can contribute to a meal. Fruit salad with eggs, bacon and toast...yum!

Carter admired his trading cards and then it was off to the pool (again!).

We came back and the kids played more card games with Grandma and Grandpa Vance. Old Maid and War were our favorites from the week!

Simon napped and I settled in with a good book to relax. Then, the sun was out and we got outside!!!

We walked over to Stumptown so the kids could play in the old, big trees and then walked over to gnome forest to explore and build our own little gnome homes.

Since the sun was still shining and we had all afternoon we headed back down to the beach for more play time.

Simon dug in the sand for a bit before wanting to go back home and play baseball with Matt. So the boys headed back to the house while I stayed on the beach with Carter and Lucy. A fun bonus of the week was meeting up with some friends from home for the final day. They were visiting Seabrook for the first time and it was fun to show them our favorite spots. Their kids are the same ages as Carter and Lucy so the kids played together on the beach for over an hour!

The boys were determined to find clams and spent most of their time digging away. They excitedly ran back to us after a while to show us their clams, which turned out to be broken sand dollars. Ha! At least they had fun!

That night our 2 families had dinner together and then walked over to the covered fireplace for s'mores!

On our final morning the boys headed to the pool for one last swim while Lucy and I stayed back for a final dip in the hot tub. It was pretty rainy and windy so even thought the water was warm the rain hitting our faces wasn't the most enjoyable. We cleaned the house, packed up our things and made 1 final stop at the sweet shop before climbing into the car for the long drive back home.

These trips, family time and memories make all the crazy packing, food buying and long days of prep so worth it. Spring break 2018 was the best! And a huge thank you to Matt's parents for coming with us, sharing the expenses and helping with the kids. We couldn't do it without them. (Now....time to dream up the next family getaway!!)

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