Out For A Walk

Boy, this new layout for posting is really messing me up.......I guess I haven't figured it out well enough yet....just trying to get the pictures where I want them took FOREVER!

Ok, so I digress.....we took the kids and my Dad's dog for a walk last night..........the kids were just fascinated by, of all things.........slugs!

"Mommy, look!!!"

Sidney goes in for a close up.....

.....finally, we're off for our walk

"Yeah, let's go!" Says Carter

The kids were chasing after a couple of cottontail bunnies

Carter gets a lift from Grandpa

A beautiful sunset

All Tuckered Out

The kids are SO excited to be here................after a long day of travel and then settling in......discovering new toys (well, not new, but new to them, or that they haven't seen in a year).....all the boys took an afternoon cat-nap.

It's funny the positions they fall asleep in.....Cameron is cuddled up with Daddy, Carter is at the end of the couch.

This is an all too familiar image......I always just have to laugh

Another day of hard play.......their schedules are all off here, but they're having fun.

On Our Way

The kids did really well on the flight this year. We actually flew all the way into Bellingham. We had to change planes in Seattle, but the second flight was very quick and the kids liked the little plane. We got to walk outside to board the plane.

Sidney was taking pictures out the window.

Somehow she changed the camera to black and white........and she likes to take close-ups.

The boys LOVED sitting on their own. It was so cute, Cameron was looking at the flight brochure almost the whole time and looking out the windows. Carter said "Thank you plane......see you next time".......my face was hurting from smiling too much. The boys were making the gal behind them crack-up the whole time too : )

Time to Relax

Well, today started off as one of the most stressful days ever. Trying to pack us all up, keep the kids from destroying the house and leaving it pristine for hopefully a potential buyer........why did we want to put our house on the market again?????? I am SO glad that the kids and I won't be there for the next month......the stress of having someone come over at any time was just unbearable, as usually just the dishes and laundry are impossible to keep up with.......let alone all the clutter of kids toys and the constant mess. I was so stressed out that once in the car and on our way I REALLY thought I was going to get sick. Things went pretty smoothly at the airport, even though we got there later than planned, (I know......big surprise, right? LOL) The kids did great on our lay-over and really seemed to like the smaller plane from Seattle up to Bellingham. I was just staring at  the boys, realizing how much they have grown up, and are little boys now. Even my Dad said that when he saw them : ) Upon arriving it felt like such a sigh of relief......like even the air was lighter.....the weather was a perfect welcome........sunny and upper 60's...........it even felt, dare I say it?.....a little cool while we were walking to the car in the shade. The kids were SO excited to be here and ran around like crazy at Grandpa's house and wore the dog out too. It was hard to believe it was almost 10:00pm when they got to bed (and Cameron got up at 5:30 am again today.......this is becoming a habit for him : (  ) Looking forward to some non-planned, no cleaning necessary time to actually enjoy with the kids!

OMG We're Busy!

So much to do.........so little time. We're getting ready for our visit to go see my Dad, we've had quite a few activities and now we are working on moving, so I'm trying to get the house looking presentable (which is nearly an impossible task with three very active kids = aka: my "walking disaster areas", and a dog. I am hoping to work on and catch up while we are in WA.....I'll probably go back & forth to update our activities there and my back log of pics : ) It seems like this year we won't get to see as many of our friends, at least not as often, as one will be out of town until our last week and another is now working full time during the week. BUT it seems like we will get to see more of my Mom's side of the family this year. YEAH! AND my Dad now actually has a relief pharmacist, so he will have some days off : )
Exciting........and very  overwhelming..............Just breathe Julie!

We Have Big News

We are moving!......Well, we're pretty sure we are. Here, in the same area. (Dad, check your e-mail.) We have been thinking about getting a house with a bigger back yard for quite awhile.....with three small kids and a very rambunctious dog our backyard is just not cutting it......plus, I hate to say it, but we are busting at the seems in this house. I feel so bad for Roman's Mom when she comes to visit now that our guest room is also the play room.
So, here's what happened........we took the kids & the dog to the park this past weekend and on our way home saw a for sale sign across the way....... it wasn't what we were looking for, but thought we saw another sign across the street, so we followed the signs. It turns out it was an open house. The outside looked ok, not exactly our style..........the inside? JACKPOT! It was SO our style! We LOVED it!!!! As we walked into each room it was like it had been hand picked for us..........the kids LOVED it. It has a HUGE backyard (although unfinished = such potential), and plenty of storage and space for everyone. We had found our DREAM HOME. Sidney even loved it so much she said before we even left "Can we go get our stuff right now and bring it over here?"........she's already calling it "our house" and telling her cousins that we're moving........after just last week when she was saying "Mommy, I NEVER want to move from this house." There's A LOT that we have to figure out......selling this house, we're getting ready to go away for a month, the kids schools, me going back to work, child care, etc.......we're on edge, but excited! I'll let you know when we get things figured out : ) Keep us in your prayers that everything falls into place......we just kind of have to take it one step at a time and hope that "our house" is still available when we are able to buy........for those of you that know me, know I don't like uncertainty and to leave things hanging. I like to have a plan and know what's going to happen, and to have things finished. Hopefully it will all work out. : )

A VERY Fun Family Dinner!

One Sunday, when it was my Mom & Step-Dad's turn for Family dinner they treated us all out for a special night. We went to a place called Organ Stop Pizza. We've lived here 6+ years and had never been there and it's actually REALLY close to my Mom's house. It was such a fun evening!!!! It was REALLY packed (it almost always is) and it's dark in there a lot of the time, plus I took these with my cell phone, as I didn't have my camera because they surprised us, so sorry for the poor quality of the pics.

It's amazing in there......pipes ALL over the place & other little and big instruments and puppets.....your eyes are just all over the place. And the organist comes up out of the floor at the start of each session. He even takes suggestions and was playing the best music that night. The kids were dancing around with Papa and having a blast! Even the grown ups were having fun : )

We were sitting in the top and couldn't see the organ from our table, so here's Papa with the girls watching intently, and Cameron looking up at me.

I gave Carter a boost for awhile so he could see better......we're all smiles here : ))))))))

and to top off a wonderful evening?????? ICE CREAM!!!!!

We've taken the kids back there since then and even sat right down on the floor, but somehow it just wasn't the same.......It was still fun though!

The Horse Show

We took the kids to the Arabian Horse Show this year.....

They weren't doing any stunts when we got there, but Sidney liked looking at all the costumes on the riders.

A lot of them were sparkly and colorful......she like this red outfit a lot.

Then we walked around a bit and got to see some up close while they were practicing........the kids liked that, but it was actually pretty hot out in the sun, so we didn't stay there too long.

They liked the costumes on the horses too.

Watching intently

They had free ice cream sundaes for the kids too.......they were in heaven! : )