Here's just a sample of what we've been up to this past week.

More swim lessons! The kids' teacher is so good and really pushes them to learn proper stroke technique all while having fun.

 Our sitter sent me this picture of Simon the other day while I was at work. He was insisting on climbing in her kitchen drawer all day long. The kids have so much fun at her house each week. She has 2 kids who are great friends with our kids and even better...she lives just a few houses down from us!

 We love our local farmers markets! The kids love looking at each booth and surprisingly do very well just looking and not grabbing every single thing they see. I love the opportunity to teach them about buying local, especially produce. A few days ago we were in need of an afternoon snack and local berries were the perfect choice!

 Then it was time to do a little grocery shopping. Shopping with 3 kids isn't always my idea of a fun time. But, pushing the massive car cart to contain 2 kids while the 3rd is up top with me helps. Well, that and the free cookie they get from the bakery!

 Carter (and every other young boy we know) is big into Legos. He even gets a Lego magazine each month. The last issue he noticed a contest he could enter to win more Legos. So he spent time thinking about what he should build and spent a solid hour in his room creating this "Hawaiian volcano" to enter into the contest. I hope he wins!

 Yesterday we spent the morning at church but since it falls right during Simon's morning nap he ended up refusing to go into the nursery and hanging out in the preschool room while Matt and I taught Sunday School. That meant a later in the day nap when we got home which eventually led to cuddling in my arms for the last hour. It was a nice little break for both of us!

 After he woke up from his nap we headed up to the Everett AquaSox game. Matt had tickets and a group of people from work were meeting there for pre-game catered food and fun. This really is the perfect way to bring our kids to the game. Closer to our house, cheaper tickets, a huge grassy field to run and play, free parking, bounce houses and Felix happened to be pitching last night, which was so fun to see! The kids could have spent the entire time in the bouncy houses but they still enjoyed watching the game and eating some kettle corn.

 Simon did pretty great too, considering he's officially a squirmy toddler who is more interested in walking everywhere than sitting in a seat in a crowd of people. It turned out to be a beautiful afternoon for a baseball game and another thing we could check off our summer bucket list. Happy July!

Read more...

34.

To celebrate my birthday last week (officially in my mid-thirties!) we decided to go out to breakfast. Going out to eat with 3 small children as a birthday gift? Yes, not exactly the image of a calm, relaxing morning but we went for it. We never go out to breakfast and really rarely go out to eat at all. But, we've heard over and over again that the Maltby Cafe is absolutely delicious, so much so that there are lines out the door every weekend. Since Matt took the day off work for my birthday we figured a weekday would be safe to try it out. And it was so delicious!!! I completely forgot to take picture of the amazing cinnamon roll french toast I had but just picture 2 huge slices of warm, gooey, cinnamon-y goodness topped with a drizzle of maple syrup....oh my goodness. The kids love breakfast food and devoured their french toast too while Matt enjoyed some homemade biscuits and gravy. The perfect start to the day!

 We came home around 9am (early risers mean early breakfasts!) and I headed out for a little alone time to go shopping. I don't get much alone time so as much fun as shopping can be with a friend it's sometimes even better all by myself. I love to just wander the aisles, try on clothes slowly and buy random things. Any mom knows that there are few things in life better than a solo trip to Target.

 After lunch I had to get practical and do some grocery shopping. Luckily there is a nail salon right next door! I had a certain someone who was eager to tag along for her very first pedicure. She was so funny. She asked SO many questions about how the whole process worked, kept wondering why all the other women were sitting quietly reading magazines and we were just talking and talking and talking. She was ticklish during the massage and thrilled when she saw the purple glitter nail polish. Needless to say, I have a feeling she's going to want to do this again sometime soon!

The day ended with a home cooked dinner, swim lessons and tired kids. But it was a simple celebration spend with those I love. I'm loving this season of my life and all it brings, here's to another great year!

Read more...

a day on Bainbridge Island.

For my birthday this year I requested some quality family time doing a local adventure. There is so much to see and do right in the city where we live so why not take full advantage of all the amazing places to visit?! Since the kids have been wanting to ride a ferry we thought Bainbridge Island would be a great choice! We headed down to the pier in Seattle a little early to walk around and explore.

 The kids loved the ferry! And we discovered 25 minutes was the perfect time to wander the boat, see the Seattle skyline and check out the water before getting too bored and wanting to get off. It was nice to be able to walk right on and leave our car in Seattle (and much cheaper!).

 Simon walked and walked and walked all over. Such a busy little boy now.

 Once we got on the island we walked over to Waterfront Front for a picnic lunch. Such a beautiful view, big grassy field to run and play and a playground nearby too. We love these times where the kids can run free and we can sit back and relax a little.

 Simon did such a great job this whole day. He was in and out of the stroller, naps were short, meals were more like snacks but he just went along for the ride.

 In the afternoon we headed over to the Children's museum to play for a bit. It was smaller than our normal museum but had so much to do. The big kids loved it while Simon and Matt took advantage of the toddler room and both snuck in a little nap.

 Then it was time for a little treat. Mora Ice Cream makes some of the best ice cream around so we all grabbed a scoop to enjoy.

 At the end of the day we were all exhausted! It's so easy sometimes to focus on the meltdowns and tantrums at the end of the day but I'm really so glad we go on these adventures as a family. It takes a little extra prep work to pack lunches and snacks, stroller, diapers and extra clothes but I love that we get to see new things and enjoy the beauty around us. It was the best way to end my 33rd year!

Read more...

summer!

Carter has been out of school about 2 weeks and we are taking full advantage of a more relaxed schedule. Add in some amazing weather and this has been the perfect start to summer vacation!

For Father's Day I tried to give Matt a day spent doing things he loved. He got to sleep in (well, sort of...I mean until the kids woke up), family breakfast and then off to the movies with Carter and Lucy. Since Simon isn't quite ready for a 2 hour kid movie I went to a nearby trail for a 5 mile run while he napped. Win win for both of us!

 After the movie we all met back up to get some lunch. Matt loves sushi and we've been wanting to let the kids try conveyor belt sushi, mostly for the fun experience of watching the plates go around. They did pretty great and tried a few new things too!

 After lunch we headed home to relax the rest of the day. Matt's parents came over for a short visit, we played in the backyard and ended the afternoon with a special homemade ice cream cookie sandwich, one of Matt's favorites! He does so much for our family that a simple day isn't enough to show our love and appreciation. The kids are so lucky to have such an amazing dad.

 Other fun summertime stuff? Lucy turned 4 1/2! These half birthdays are a big deal when you are a kid so I try to do a mini-celebration for them. And a little poster left on their chair when they wake up is so exciting! Ha!

 Mornings spent in our pjs just playing at home. Both kids (and me too!) got bullseyes on Carter's new dart board the other day.

 A trip to the bookstore. This is pretty much a weekly occurrence. They love reading all the time! And Simon loves to explore, pull down books, run around and be your typical toddler.

 I took the kids to the Children's Museum the other morning too. Usually they want to run off in different directions to see all the exhibits but we stuck together and spent a long time in the art studio painting. It's so fun to watch their creative side come out.

 This lasted about 5 seconds before he gave me a look of desperation to get that darn helmet off and then fell off the side of the car. But, we tried! (also, I'm loving the hand me down helmet from Carter and pink cupcake car from Lucy).

 Silly Simon.

 And another fun morning! We met some good friends at the beach the other day. This is only 20 minutes from our house and has a great beach to explore, play and even a playground right by the water. So fun! It was freezing when we got there but the sun finally came out so we stayed 2 hours longer to enjoy the day.

 On the way home we stopped for frozen yogurt, yum!

 And then later in the day I pulled out the pools. Simon has his very own little splash pad which is perfect for when the big kids are in their pool.

 And swim lessons have officially begun. We are going to a new place this year which I'm loving because it's only 5 minutes away from our house. And, it's an outdoor pool which is so fun! Lucy has really become our little fish and loves the water. She is starting to pass Carter up with her swimming skills and it's so fun to watch her try new things. Carter has a friend in his class from school so he's pretty happy too. These days are busy but so much fun!

Read more...

strawberries.

When Simon was 2 weeks old Matt went back to work. That same day I had the crazy idea to take all 3 kids blueberry picking. Because why not go out with a newborn to a dirty field, try to pick berries while keeping a close eye on 2 other young children who are running through rows and rows of berry trees?!? Fast forward a year and I've decided that I wasn't crazy at all. In fact, that was a breeze compared to taking 3 kids strawberry picking last week. Ha!

In all fairness, the kids were amazing and did a great job. It was just a little nuts trying to manage it all while attempting to bring home some berries. But we did it, had fun and now can enjoy local berries all year long!

I gave each kid a basket to fill and then bring back to me to put in the larger box. Lucy brought her basket back with 4 strawberries and then proceeded to eat them in front of me. I don't think I ever saw Carter's basket again but he was so helpful watching Lucy and Simon for me while wandering the fields. The kids had fun picking berries, running around with other kids and just enjoying the farm. 

 It was Simon who gave me a run for my money! Sheesh, this kid! I was hoping he'd fall asleep in the carrier on my back and I'd have at least 30 minutes to pick but instead he was so curious he fussed until I got him out of the carrier and let him explore. And that he did! Crawling down the rows of dirt, finding smashed berries, walking and falling down, smearing berries all over me and just loving it all. I had to have my back turned for most of it so he wouldn't grab the box of berries I had just picked. I'm sure the other moms had a good laugh watching this all go down.

 After about 45 minutes I had picked 10.5 lbs of strawberries and 3 happy, dirty kids!

 This picture doesn't even show the true amount of dirt all over his face. So funny!

 The kids also chose to pick some lettuce from the farm to bring home. We made a homemade salad that night for dinner with a strawberry vinaigrette dressing using some of the berries we picked. It was such a great lesson in farm to table cooking and the kids loved learning more about where our food comes from. I look back and think about the crazy moments but really these days are so fun and I'm so glad I get to give my kids these experiences.

Read more...