strawberry heaven

Our breakfast this morning: homemade granola and juicy strawberries from Boxx Berry Farm. Liam declared it his "best breakfast ever". I would have to agree.

merry half-christmas!

Yesterday was half-Christmas. A tradition in our home which includes small gifts, a big breakfast, Christmas cookie baking, and lots of Christmas music. And because this half-Christmas fell on a beautiful weekend day, we also went to our local farmer's market and played a lively game of kick ball in the back yard.

As far as made-up holidays go, this one tops our list!

brothers

Love watching the boys find new things they enjoy doing together!

ice cream with Nana

Pure. Joy.

gross!

I'm trying to decide if this story will gross you out or make you think I'm just a homeschooling mom who tries to incorporate learning in everything we do. :-)

You recall that sunburn that I mentioned last week? Well now it's peeling. In pretty big pieces. So I tell Audrey to quick, go get a clean microscope slide and let's take a look at this stuff up close!

I know, I know. GROSS!

dance recital

Audrey had a dance recital this weekend. She took a couple of years off from dance so this was her first performance in awhile and she was quite nervous. But she did a great job and really seems to love it!

butterflies

Our butterflies came out last week. We even got to watch one as it emerged.

Yesterday we took advantage of a sunny day and released them. So amazing to watch them fly away. They knew exactly what to do.

Very fun spring project. Might do this one every year!

sunburned and happy

I have a sunburn. A pretty good one, actually. But every time I see it in the mirror and gasp, or move the wrong way and feel pain - it makes me happy. This sunburn represents several beautiful things for me.

1. The sun was out this weekend.
2. I was able to enjoy it from a very beautiful location on Whidbey Island.
3. I was with girlfriends that I treasure and love.
4. I was so relaxed and comfortable - I did not even realize my skin was frying.

So although it will take awhile for the effects to wear off - it was worth it. I'm so blessed by my friends. And I have a husband who encourages me to go away and takes very good care of our kids while I'm gone.

Sunburned and happy. That's me!

last day of school!

Today is our last day of school for the year. Audrey is now a 3rd grader - and Liam is a 1st grader. (Oh my.) We celebrated with a trip to our favorite park and a picnic with friends.

The kids surprised me with treats on my desk this morning. Beautiful cards they had made, an apple, and my favorite candy bar! SO thoughtful.

Once all of their work was filed, they had fun going through their notebooks and seeing all the things we had done this year.

It was busy, fun, exciting and at times hectic - but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

bubbles!

My cousin Erin and her roommate Ashley came over for dinner last night. They brought bubbles and all sorts of bubble paraphernalia with them. SOOOO much fun!

girls weekend

Last year, Audrey and I were able to go away for a weekend with two of our best friends - Kylie and McKenna. We went to over to Chelan and stayed with my parents. We had so much fun we've decided this shall be an annual occasion and it's on the calendar this year for July. Audrey and McKenna had a playdate yesterday and they compiled a "Girls Weekend Plan."

* Slidewaters
* GG's resort (GG=Great Grandma)
* Blueberry Hills
* Apple Cup
* Aunt Courtney's shop
* trolley ride
* swimming (Nana's, GG's, Grandma's)
* river side walk
* ice cream
* Lakeview

Looks like a pretty ambitious list! In summary - we will be eating in our bathing suits for three straight days. Sounds good to me!

behold...

...chrysalises! Four of them. Butterflies to come any day now.

we share

In this family, we do a lot of sharing. In fact, this month we've been extra generous. We've shared runny noses, coughs, sneezes and pink eye! I'm praying we limit this sharing to just the five of us.

What does your family like to share?