Happy St. Patty's Day!

Are they cute Irish twins or what?  No they were not born in the same calendar year of each other BUT they do have some distant Irish heritage and EVERYWHERE we go people ask me if they are twins.  

 St. Patty's Day is a great excuse to break out the beer...but we're not really into that so we busted out the green MILK!  It has always been my family's tradition (when I was a kid) to eat broccoli cheddar soup in bread bowls along with some green sides like salad and jello!  Then top it offs with some green milk.  Great memories!  And then I got married...  and my husband doesn't like vegetables!  So we feasted on a much healthier fare (or so Dave insists) of green eggs, bacon, green baby cakes waffles, and the green milk!  Those naughty leprechauns are so sneaky with their green dye!

 And then while we were eating our green feast.....the leprechauns left a trail of chocolate gold coins leading up to Lizzie's bedroom.  There we discovered a lot of leprechaun mischief (messes and trapped stuffed animals) and the whole pot of gold coins!  Julie was shocked and awed with every detail!  Lizzie, though, insisted that "Mommy and Daddy did it!  Not a leprechaun!"  However, she quickly stopped her claims and started hiding gold coins all over for Julie to find, telling her that "the leprechauns left them there!"  It was quite the sacrifice considering she was pulling from her personal stash of coins.

 It made me kind of sad to think that Lizzie was old enough to suspect her parents and to not just believe! Is she that old already?  Even as I ask that question I know the answer- No!  She's only four but she has always been a four year old going on fourteen kind of girl.  She is always telling me that she wants to be an adult and be big like me.  She generally channels all that energy into mothering Julie!  Lizzie has her bossy moments with Juju but many sweet, caring  moments as well.

 Meowma stepped into our little photo shoot!  She used to be so skinny when we found her....

 It amuses me to no end watching Julie chow down on chocolate.   She can stuff those coins into her  mouth so fast! Little kids MAKE the holidays!  Even the small holidays can be so fun with these little people around!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day is not a real holiday you say?  Well, give us an excuse to celebrate LOVE and we will take advantage of it.  (If we feel like it.)  This year we caught the Valentine's spirit and went with it. Something funny happens when you start a family of your own.  You would think with each new person your love would become more divided and sparse but it only grows!  We are over flowing with love (and little girl cuteness) over here so it seemed only right to share.  I started the Vday holiday by giving Dave a little gift and note each day from Feb 1 to Feb 14. We sent out Vday greetings instead of Christmas cards. Then, came the day of.  The girls helped make and deliver V-day treats (strawberry muddy buddies), flowers, and cards for the neighbors and dental office.

 Do you think they were excited about the delivery part?  :)

 Lizzie got an extra special Valentine's Day gift this year:  A new big girl bed!! Grandma made her a special quilt that matches her painting.  The specially designed little girl quilt has special meaning because I had a very similar quilt on my bed when I was about her age.  This is the modern version of it that I had for years and loved.  Daddy also bought each of the girls (and me) one beautiful rose of their favorite colors.  Lizzie-yellow.  Julie- pink. That Daddy (aka "Daddoo" as the girls sometimes call him) knows how to treat his girls well.

Next, we headed to a local nursing home to pass out  some Valentines that the girls made.  It was the perfect activity.  The old folks LOVED the girls and the girls LOVED going room to room introducing themselves, passing out cards, and wishing them "Happy Valentine's Day."  It was very reminiscent for me because I used to love my job at Manor Care Nursing Home working as an Activity Assistant.  Afterwards, we headed to the mall for some See's Chocolates, Auntie Anne's Pretzels, and the kids play zone.  

Later that night we got a babysitter. My hot date picked me up in a sleek black corvette convertible  AND he let me drive! (He made sure to let me know what a huge sacrifice this was.) We headed for downtown and ate at our favorite type of restaurant-Brazilian style Rodizio!  You can never go wrong with all you can eat, fresh off the grill, filet mignon; shrimp; sirloin; roasted cinnamon pineapple; bacon wrapped turkey; and an exotic cold salad bar.  Afterwards, we zoomed around town, hit up all our favorite spots including Sunny Side Beach, Dick's, Ballard, and the temple grounds.  I hate to admit this but we drove around town for so long that we decided we could squeeze in a bit more food so we stopped at my favorite dessert spot, BJ's, to split a pizookie.

This year we were VERY spoiled.  In years past we have kept things simple and had a great time.
Flowers, chocolates, sports cars, and fancy restaurants do not a Valentine's Day make.  LOVE, FAMILY, FRIENDS and SPENDING TIME together is the best! (Not that I'm complaining about being super pampered every once in a while)  :)

Instagram Catch Up

Lately, i have found that Instagram is my replacement for blogging!  Its a really quick way to share photos with family and friends. However, i consider my blog to be my official journal of sorts so here is a little catch up of events missed!

 The last summer at Grammy and Papa's old house!

 Steph came to visit and we went to the Ol Swimming Hole

 Erin let me borrow a corner of her garden this summer so I stayed busy harvesting all kinds of vegetables!

 Went to a Mariners game with M and J.

 

 So many summer nights spent at the Famers Market and concerts.

 Spray parks!

 Grammy and Papa moved!

 June came to play when her baby brother was born!

 Fun at the cabin with good friends.

 Anniversary in Vegas baby!

 Mom and T joined us in the Vegas fun! Lots of swimming and buffets.

 Lizzie, your eye is dilated!  Next time don't touch the scopalimine patch on the floor!

 We have had a hectic Y schedule: gymnastics, ballet, soccer, and swimming.

 We finally took my Mom to the fair!  Great times and found Meow!

 My mom is crazy talented: designed this quilt for Lizzie's bed.

 

 Liz and I are both into Jamberry.

 Family time at the park= Priceless.

 This pile used to be INSIDE the crib...decluttering complete.

 Parks,

 Reading,

 Beaches,

 Tee-pees, and apple picking all made for an amazing Lake Chelan, Autumn getaway.

 They still love kitties!

 A little bit of costume sewing,

 kidlet cooking,

 and a happy birthday girl, made for an extra special Halloween this year!

 This fall I am thankful that we live close enough to meet Dave for lunch.

 And I'm grateful for apples.  So many apples to make apple sauce, pie filling, leather, and cider.

 Its nice to have neighbors with kids the same ages as our girls.

 A new haircut for the holidays!

 Back to work for me this year. I've been busy up keeping my RDH status!

 Baby Jesus.

 Baby girls.

 Baby cousin.

Babysitting Baby B...we are really into babies around here lately.

 I'm a bit obsessed with the Blendtec.  Super healthy smoothies all the time these days.

Career exploring at the Children's Museum:  Doctor, farmer, singer, or grocery checker...so many choices!