Lulu Tutu Turns One!

My little baby turned one on December 27th, and she is still my baby! This pint size kid is certainly not pint size in personality. She says "HI!" to everyone she sees and is always on the move. She has been walking for forever, it seems like, and being no bigger than a minute, she takes many people by surprise. Thanks to her cousins for helping her celebrate. We all love her to pieces and wish her a Happy Birthday!

Christmas and Holiday Fun!

Well, Christmas came, and I can't believe it already went. We had so much fun, that the time went by too fast. Christmas Eve was spent with the Thompsons, and I would have to say the highlight of the night was the talent show. Everett's jokes, Kasey's egg juggling and Marc's Donald Duck Jingle Bells were a few of my favorites. Christmas morning was full of surprises for the kids and we all had a good time. Then, on Dec. 27th, we sang a quick "Happy Birthday" to Luci and made our way that morning to Boise, and then on to Utah the next day to surprise Justin's mom and see his brother Wade in from Prague. Despite having a sick Lulu, we had a great trip, which included sledding behind Grandpa's ATV and going to the Dinosauer museum. It was good to see everyone. Maddie always asks me "why isn't Washington closer to Utah?" She had a great time with her cousins dressing up and having sleepovers. Loves to all and although we had a blast, we are looking forward to a quiet New Year.

WHERE HAVE WE BEEN?!!!

Wow! The weeks have gotten away from me! I can't believe the last post was so long ago. Since then, we had a super fun Thanksgiving with Justin's family, who are super cooks and our food was YUM, took Maddie, Grandma Sheila, and Jody to the Nutcracker, we've decorated for Christmas, made gingerbread houses, Maddie had a preschool party, Luci is running round the house, loves to wrestle, and woke up one day with CRAZY hair! We saw Santa Claus, and, for the GRAND finale, Wes is potty trained!!! thanks to a little Santa Claus bribery, the kid has a LOT of motivation. Yesterday he decided to wear his underwear on his head, which he thought was sooo funny. We have had a great month and look forward to the crowning day of December, Christmas. Best wishes to all!

Happy Happy 5th Birthday Maddie!

Ah! Maddie is now five! Happy Birthday on November 16th. I can't believe how fast the time goes, and how big my baby has become. But I am so glad she is only five because that is still little to me. She had the birthday of P's- Princesses and Pet Shop. Madddie had her four pre-school buddies over to play and had two hours full of crazy princess play! They had so much fun and they were so fun to watch. And thanks to all Grandma's and Grandpa's and cousins who made Maddie's birthday special!

He's Three!

Okay, he was three last Wednesday, September 30th but I felt he deserved a post just for him! I can't believe my buddy is three. We love him and he definitely keeps things moving at our house! (although I am not loving his recent 6:30 am wake-ups as he rustles around his room looking for his recent car or train fetish). And now that he is finally is talking and keeping up conversations with his sister, he is also proving to have a lot of funny things to say. Happy Birthday little guy!

Family Time!

Since we moved here, we have had lots of family join us for some great fun! Thanks Grandmas and Grandpas, cousins, and everyone for coming to see us! We have had a great time with everyone and can't wait for visits to come!
ps- sorry about the slide show song. It was late and i was tired of finding something i liked. it is catchy and annoying at the same time...

We Were There, and Now We are Here!

Hello everyone! We made it safely to our new home in Port Orchard, WA. We arrived on September 1st. Justin and I were nostalgic leaving our home in Meridian. It was our first home, and we basically started our family there. We thought the kids would think it was pretty cool to see the house empty and clean, but they could care less! They were anxious to stay the night with our good friends, the Dunkleys, before making the long trip. And long it was, we made it most of the way, and then when we were about two hours away, traffic came to a standstill- we sat still for about three hours. We finally made it to Issaquah, about an hour away from our new home, and got a hotel. Now, we just have a few boxes left to unpack. So far, we love our new city and are excited to explore more. The pictures are views of the Olympic Mountains from our bedroom window. Incredible! You'll also see the Navy Shipyards down below.