Grace's green gala...

When it came time to plan Grace's fourth birthday party my mind was blank. She isn't super into any movies or characters or "themes," so I wasn't sure which direction to go. Eventually, after much brainstorming, I asked her what kind of party she wanted. She quickly said, "GREEN!" and we went with it. 

Though rain threatened move us indoors, we simply changed the location and made sure we had a covered area. Thankfully the clouds stayed closed and we had a great night at the park with so many friends and family. We enjoyed green foods, drinks, treats, cupcakes, games, face painting, playground time and so much more!

My mom came and painted faces for hours. We estimated 35 kids waited patiently for their turn. Grace went first and kept it simple... a green turtle. By the end mom was painting full puppy faces and lots of silly old men.

The cupcakes tasted great, but my kitchen was so warm that the frosting melted right off of them. I don't think the kids minded one bit.

The crew - after a few had left - it was a great gang. Thanks everyone who could make it. Grace had a blast with you all!

When I root I root for the...

TIMBERS!

Father's Day 2011 - a wonderful day, a great meal with family, and to top it all off... a fantastic soccer game!

Happy Father's day...

To all of the dads and grandpas in our lives. Thank you and happy Father's Day. We love you!

Welcome, June...

In continuing with my pattern, here is another quick look at the past two weeks...

June 1st - On Wednesday Amy and I took the kiddos to the Mariner game. It was "Value Day" so the tickets in center field were only $8 each. It only seemed logical that we to drive to Seattle and take four crazy kids to the game. We had a great time and everyone did really well - until Claire's melt down on the way to the car. We enjoyed our ballpark lunch, seeing three broken bats and two home runs. The only problem was the cold and the fact that our cheap seats were the only ones in the stadium that weren't covered by the retractable roof. It was a memorable game - a first for my girls - and totally worth the hassle.

And just because it is cute...


June 2nd - Amy, the kids and I had a much-needed low key day at home. We did laundry, preschool, and played a lot. We visited with neighbors and shopped at Freddy's. We had delicious Teriyaki chicken for dinner. It was a good day. Plus, Merrick flew into Seattle to meet us. Yeah for daddy being home! The girls and I picked him up from SeaTac at 8 and we drove straight up to Macy's house. By the time we got there, unloaded and settled in, it was bed time for the kiddos. The big girls and grown ups spent the evening visiting and reading. It was nice and relaxing.

June 3rd - On Friday there was a lot of bouncing, running, playing in the clubhouse, eating yummy food, napping on the trampoline, playing with lots of cousins, eating, graduating, etc. The whole Brownlee family was together on Friday - for the first time since December 2009! We went up for the weekend because our oldest niece, Mariah, was graduating from 8th grade AND she was the class valedictorian!

 It is nearly impossible to get a picture of these two lately. One looks, the other doesn't. One screams, the other runs. One is blurry, the other is smiley.

 Our beautiful niece - heading to high school as an honor student. Congrats, Mariah!. It will be fun to see where she ends up four years from now... perhaps even at George Fox!?!

 All eight of the crazies. If it is impossible to take a nice picture of my two girls, imagine the difficulty we faced when trying to snap this one.

We ended our night hanging around the fire and playing in the back yard. It was perfect!

June 4th - Since Macy and Matt practically live close, we thought a day trip to Leavenworth would be fun. Gary and Margaret had to head back to Oregon, and Matt had a doctor appointment, but the rest of the gang joined in on our adventure. We packed up our picnic lunch and took off towards the mountains. It was a perfect day - bright blue skies, a warm breeze, snow capped mountains, lots of waterfalls. It was crowded - there was a big wine festival happening - so we had to drive around a bit to find parking. We headed to the big park square in the middle of town for lunch. After being in the car the kids (and Merrick) were wild and just wanted to run, so that is exactly what they did.

We wandered around the town for a bit, popping in and out of little shops, eating apple strudel (well, that was just me) and eventually made our way down to the river. We followed the path along the river, discovered a miniature playground the the kids loved, and eventually found a little beach. It was beautiful, but oh-so-frigid.

By 5 pm we were hot, sweaty and thirsty, so we decided to call it a day. We said "auf wiedersehen" to the Diefs who were heading home through Yakima and we took off back towards Macy's house. We were just about 1/2 way there when Merrick spotted a little black bear on the side of the road. We had sped right past it, but whipped around so we could take a better look. We decided to wake up the girls - who had fallen asleep before backing out of our parking spot - so they could experience this also. They were a little dazed, but enjoyed watching the bear run, roll, play and eat dandelions right next to our car.

When we got back to the house, Grace was very excited to tell Aunt Macy about the bear we saw "not in its cage" and then was quickly distracted by the trampoline that was calling her name. Merrick and I packed the car while the girls bounced and snacked. We all ate a yummy lasagna dinner together and then it was time for good byes. We left just before nine and thankfully there were no other cars on the road so we made it home just after midnight. We were exhausted, but thankful to be home.

June 6th - Brennan's graduated from kindergarten, so we headed to Newberg to join the festivities. He was a ham, as usual, but I forgot my camera so I have no pictures to prove it. After the program we drove by Gary and Margaret's new house and then headed to the Dief's to play and visit. The have a little swing set in the yard and the kids played outside until it was too dark to see anything and then cried when we said it was time to head home. They sure do love their cousins.

June 7th - The fountains have been turned on at our favorite parks! It doesn't seem quite warm enough, but these girls disagree.

Claire, on the other hand, flirted with disaster for 15 minutes - running in and out of the fountain, dodging the spurts of water - as we sat back and waited for the inevitable.

Then, when the moment finally came, we were laughing so hard that we had tears running down our faces and couldn't help her escape the jets of water. I'm just so thankful that Shannon had her camera focused and ready to capture these moments. Thanks, Shan!

June 8th - I think it is safe to say that "park season" has officially started! We are thankful for sunny (well, not rainy at least) days with friends are our favorite places.

Farmer's Market season has also begun. Tonight Shannon and I walked to Whole Foods with the girls (Matt and Merrick met us there). We walked around, tested the samples (salted caramel cupcake was my favorite, but the schnitzel was good as well), bought kettle corn, ate tamales and listened to live music. Rather than going back to our boring house, we spent the rest of the night at Magnolia Park where Grace mastered pumping the swing! She's been getting close, but tonight the rhythm clicked!

June 9th - Today was a quiet day around the house - laundry, etc. The sun did come out for the afternoon though, and the girls enjoyed playing in the sprinkler in our very own dandelion field.

And here's footage that my kids will later use to prove once and for all that I am a terrible parent... since I am the one manning the water source. =)

June 10th - After a fun morning and afternoon with Shannon and Soph, we headed home to rest and get ready for our guests. It was late, so rather than napping, Grace stayed up and did quite activities around the house. At 5:15 I noticed that she was missing... after looking everywhere for her, I finally found her curled up in the corner of my room sound asleep. I tried waking her up, but she was really groggy. Thankfully Merrick came home right then, and we decided to head out for the night. She perked up a bit while we were at Costco, but when we were at the park we noticed that she seemed hot. By the time we got home she had a 103 degree fever. On top of having a sick girl - AGAIN - Macy and her kids were on their way to our house for the weekend.

June 11th - Saturday didn't bring much improvement for Grace, but she was up for a few little things. We went out for a bit in the morning with Mariah and Laney while Macy and Maleah attended a wedding in Salem. By the time we reached our lunch destination Grace was shivering and miserable - even with Motrin. We headed home to rest and spend the rest of the day relaxing with family. Merrick and I stayed up way too late with our nieces playing ridiculous games and laughing hysterically while intermittently checking on Grace and texting my cousin (thanks Carrie!) in the wee hours of the morning to see how her boys were doing and how high their fevers got. Grace was over 105 degrees at bed time so we were a bit worried, but felt it was a good sign that the meds seemed to help lower it some.

*I haven't been taking pictures through all the sickness, but I did snap a few of this baby robin we found in our back yard. I can't be sure that it was one of "our" baby birds, but it was fun to see the young, flightless bird resting in our tree and being fed by its parents.

June 12th - Sunday Grace awoke with the same high fever and no appetite - even though we were having homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast. I called the doctor's office - thankful for their strange weekend hours - and explained her symptoms. We decided to take her in just to be safe. Ever since our episode with Claire I have been a little hyper-sensitive to medical issues. After checking her thoroughly, the doctor found nothing wrong (aka she has an unknown virus) and sent us home with directions to come back in if the fever lasted through the week. The rest of our Sunday was spent lounging around the house... trying unsuccessfully to get Grace to sleep.

June 13th - Monday morning Grace was still feverish, though it seemed to be getting lower (now only reaching 104 at times). She spent the day resting and watching Little Einsteins and Mickey's Clubhouse. Every once in a while - when the meds kicked in - she would perk up and ask for something to eat or want to play a game. It was good to get glimpses of her normal. Claire, on the other hand, was full of energy and going non-stop until her 2:00 nap. She woke up at 2:30 crying (not normal for her) and when I went to investigate I could tell by looking at her flushed cheeks and sweaty head that she was feverish. Sure enough, she had a 103 temp. Ugh. Thankfully Merrick was able to leave work early and stopped by the library to load up and special movies for the sickies. We spent the rest of the night watching "The Tigger Movie" and "Little Einsteins HUGE Adventure." Quite a treat for these two sickies.

June 14th - Claire did not sleep well at all, and both girls woke up still very hot to the touch. Another day of laying around the house and resting was in order for the Brownlee girls. By late afternoon Claire was inconsolable - screaming and saying "owie, owie, owie." She also had a rash covering her abdomen and her at 4:45 her temperature was 106.4. I gave her another dose of Tylenol and called our doctor. After thinking through all of her symptoms, they decided she needed to be seen - even though Grace had been checked out a few days earlier. Since it was the end of the day and the office was closing, they went ahead and sent us to the ER to see a doctor. I have to say it was a little strange to be walking into the same ER doors as we had almost exactly six months earlier. I had butterflies in my stomach, but not the same feelings of fearing the unknown as I had experienced last time. The nurses and doctor were once again great. I'm not sure how hot she was when we got to the hospital, but her temp was high enough that they gave her a dose of Motrin even though I had given her Tylenol less than an hour before we arrived. The doctor ran a strep test (negative), a chest x-ray (negative) and a urine test (negative). He was about to release us with the "it's just a virus, give her lots of fluids" diagnosis when the radiologist called down and said that he thought there was signs of pneumonia in her lungs. We looked at the x-rays and could just barely see the faint gray splotches in her left lung. The doctor was a little skeptical, but went ahead and started her on antibiotics to be safe. We finally left the hospital and made it home just before ten... hungry and exhausted. There was one good thing from tonight... it seems as though Grace's fever was gone as of 5 pm!

June 15th - It seems like the antibiotics weren't magical and Claire did not want to sleep. At 2 am we realized that she needed a dose of Motrin - that has been working best on the fever and of course we didn't not have a single drop in the house. I ran out to WinCo - the only store in our area that is open in the middle of the night - and was surprised at how many people were also at the store. The crowd was interesting, some little groups hanging around inside and out. If I hadn't been a little bit afraid of them I might have asked what in the world they were doing at that time of day. Instead I quickly found the medicine I needed, nodded politely to the employee who cheerfully wished me a "good morning!" and headed home. While I was gone Merrick had managed to calm Claire down and get her to sleep. We gave her a dose of the Motrin without waking her and we conked out for the night. Needless to say we all slept in - a lot. While my family was eating breakfast at 11 I ran to Costco to get C's prescription filled. As I was walking into the store (at 11:20 am) I realized I had a voice message from our pediatrician asking us to come in for a follow up appointment at 11:50. I immediately walked back out of Costco, drove straight home, through my jammie-clad children into the car and drove to the doctor's office. Even after all that we were only 4 minutes late. Amazing! As annoyed as I was that we had to go in, I left feeling thankful that our busy doctor had taken the time to see us and check out Claire himself. It was nice knowing that he was 100% in the loop. He knows us, our girls, their medical history, and he was able to give a better explanation and a clearer diagnosis that we had received the night before at the hospital. He is fairly certain that Claire has the same virus that Grace had - most likely the cause of the fever - and will probably last through Friday. He thinks that on top of that she has some sort of respiratory bug that is causing the pneumonia-like symptoms (though he heard nothing in her lungs today that would indicate the presence of pneumonia) and the ear infections that he found this morning. No matter what is happening in her body, we are going ahead with that same treatment that the hospital had recommending and hoping that it wiped out anything yucky in her system.

June 16th - Today was another day of resting, relaxing, playing, reading, lounging and sleeping. I have been stuck in the house - avoiding all public places - since Saturday. I am going a bit stir crazy here and hoping for freedom soon. We are also hoping for a full night of sleep for all. As I am typing my family is upstairs brushing teeth and reading bed time stories.

And with that I am technically caught up. Hopefully next time I write it will be about something other than sickness and being behind on my blog. =)

*I apologize for any mistakes in this post. I had the whole thing written last night and it somehow got deleted instead of posted. Ugh. So I just re-wrote everything as best as I could and am publishing 14 hours later than I wanted.

Claire {18 months old}...

I haven't posted a monthly post for Claire since she was 11 months old. I guess you could say that a lot happened between then and now. She was sick for months 12 & 13. I was sick for months 14 &15. We were on vacation when we ushered in month 16. I blinked once and we were done with month 17. And now here we are, more than 1/2 a year later. I wish I could go back and catch up on my monthly posts, but my mind has this funny way of forgetting the little details when other little details happen. Oh well. We will just start from here and go with it.


After her illness in December, she sort of fell off of her growth curve. I think her body was just not putting much energy into growing. Now it seems like she is back to her normal.

Eating: We have had our ups and downs with this girl's eating habits. For the most part she is a great eater - and like Grace - she will at times eat anything you put in front of her. She is, however, much more aware of her preferences and seems to have more issues with certain textures than Grace ever did. We have to be careful to give her food in the order that we want her to eat... veggies, protein, carbs, favorites (fruits, sweets, treats, etc). We don't cook dinner and put everything on the table because once she sees something she wants, she will flat out refuse to eat anything else. For instance, the other day she was happily gobbling up a large bowl of taco soup with all the fixings, but when I served myself a slice of cornbread she had no interest soup. I will often cook veggies first and let her sit and eat steamed broccoli while I am cooking the rest of dinner. It means that the rest of us eat cold broccoli, but at least Claire is getting a large serving of veggies first. 

A few of her current favorite foods are: eggs ("icks"), tofu, avocados ("ah-cah-gos" ), hot cereal ("mush"), cheese, yogurt ("yo-guck"), green smoothies, bananas ("me-nahs"), broccoli, berries, oranges ("ohns"), melon, hot dogs, noodles ("new-nos"), crab, salmon, apple sauce ("appie-saw"). She loves bready things - muffins, waffles, toast, etc. She does drink milk, but usually asks for water ("wah-wee"). She loves feeding herself and does a pretty good job. 

Nursing: Sometime in January or February she was done nursing. I honestly can't remember when or how she weaned, but it was voluntary on her part. One day she was just sort of done. I got her ready for bed, read stories, and put her in bed without nursing. She didn't cry or complain one bit. 

Sleeping: When we left the hospital and came home with a healthy girl, she had way too much energy and spunk. She only takes one nap a day now - 2 or 3 hours every afternoon - and then sleeps for 12-13 hours every night. She is so compliant with nap time and bed time, sometimes heading up the stairs saying "nigh-nigh" and waving. She still sleeps with binkies - lots of binkies - but only gets them at bed time. She also sleeps with a crib full of blankets, pillows and stuffed animals. At minimum she has her favorite blanket and a very soft elephant from grandma that stay with her nightly. This sort of happened overnight, but while we were up at Doernbecher, and she was attached to heart and oxygen monitors, she slept with all sorts of blankets and guys. If anything had happened, bells and alarms would have let us know. She got used to the comfort object(s), and we got used to the idea of her having stuff in her bed, so we've just gone along with it. 

Teething: 12 total... For a long time Claire had the funniest little lop-sided smile. She had seven teeth - four on top and three on the bottom. Merrick liked to call her 'tri-dent.' When we were in California she got her forth bottom tooth and then a few weeks later we noticed her first set of molars coming through (top first, bottom followed shortly). I guess you could say that she is a great teether since we didn't hear a peep out of her when she was cutting any of those teeth. She still has her canines to come though, and those were the hardest for Grace.

Moving: I love watching this girl move. She walks (or runs) everywhere. She doesn't want to ride in a stroller or shopping cart (because her sister gets to walk) and she really doesn't want to be carried. She has the funniest little gait too... sort of stomping through life. She isn't what you would call delicate or dainty. It is more like she bowls through a room - like you might expect a hippo to do. She also has this way of leaning back as she walks, sticking out her big belly and sort of waddling. She likes showing off how fast she is and will often just take off sprinting around our island or down the street.

Dancing: I think she has rhythm in her blood (she get that from grandpa). If there is music playing anywhere, she will dance. If she hears the word 'dance' she will dance. I put her in bed the other night with a doll that sings "Twinkle Twinkle" and even laying in her crib with her eyes closes she was wiggling her buns and bobbing her head. 

Talking: She talks all day long. I don't always know what she is saying, but can usually figure it out. She mostly talks in sentences, "Mommy, big girl sad." or "Fall, bonk, head." She recently started forcing herself to stutter. I can't figure out why, maybe it is to emphasize a word. One morning she just woke up saying "ya-ya-ya-yeah!" or "ma-ma-ma-mommy." She doesn't always do it, but most of the time she will stutter the first word of a sentence or the one-word answer to a question you ask her. When listening to her it is obvious that she is doing it on purpose. I'm sure she will grow out of it at some point.

Singing: Claire loves to sing, and being sung to. She will sing the alphabet song with us - nailing A, B, C and then trailing off until P. She comes back in at the end with a rousing X, Y and Z.  She gets the rhythm and tune right of most songs. Some of her other current favorites are, "The B.I.B.L.E, Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, Wheels on the Bus, This Little Light of Mine, Ring Around the Rosies, Peter, James and John in the Sailboat, and My God is so Great to name a few. She knows the words of some of our church's songs and will surprise us sometimes when she joins in as we sing. 

Tricks: She is a monkey and can climb just about anything. She has no fear and wants to try everything herself the first time she does it. She walks down the stairs one foot at a time - none of that on-your-tummy-baby-stuff for this girl. She loves making animal noises - and knows some really random animals. She likes making people laugh. 

Potty: We have had moderate success with Claire using the potty. We haven't done anything too seriously yet because of traveling and my recent surgery, but hopefully in the next month or two we will be able to get that ball rolling. She seems interested in the idea, and will often tell us as she is going or right after she went. She has been wearing panties all day today with five successes and only one accident. Not too shabby.  

Personality: Claire is a piece of work... almost all good. She is funny and spunky and crazy and wild. She wants to do everything herself . We often hear her announce "my turn!" even if someone else is in the middle of doing whatever it is that she wants to be doing. She is extremely independent, but not at all introverted. She is not at all a people-pleaser. If you ask her to do something she will usually say, "Naaaaah, NO!" Everything needs to be her idea first or it won't happen... eating, sleeping, bathing - you name it. She learns by doing. Even if she could get hurt, we usually have to let her try and fail.

Claire's current favorite...

Animal: turtle, owl, ladybugs ("be-bug")

Book: big picture book of first words, Animal Babies

Game: her sesame street cut outs, flashcards

Show: Einsteins or Mickey (though she doesn't watch much tv)

Person: Grace, daddy, mommy (in that order)

Place: outside

Food: avocado

Thing: binkies

Activity: painting or bubbles

Toy: Kitchen, Legos (yea-goes)

Bath time...

Technically, this should fall in the May post, but I forgot. Forgive me.

After our long day at the zoo, these kids needed to be bathed. At the time this seemed like a good idea...

When we finished bathing these four hooligans, and the bathroom floor was covered in water for the second time in as many days, we were second guessing our decision. The kids had fun though. Again, it's really too bad they don't like each other.

Another month come and gone...

Have you noticed that I have become a once-a-month blogger? I'm not proud of this, but can't seem to keep up with day-to-day life. There has been so much happening... sickness, out-of-town visitors, quick trips here and there, longer trips for work and to visit friends, little adventures around town. We've been busy. I've felt swamped. But all in all May was a good month. Here's what we've been up too...

May 8th - Mother's day with the Brownlees and the Diefenbaughs. I didn't take any pictures, but we had a great lunch and a really fun afternoon alternating indoor and outdoor play while dodging the downpours.

May 9th - Our girls recently inherited a tag-along bike and a balance bike from their older cousins and have been loving them both... especially Grace!

May 10th - We are still having lots and lots and LOTS of rainy, cold weather. Our poor girls (and their mommy) are getting tired of being trapped in the house, so we are being... um, creative in how we entertain.

May 13th - It has been a while since we've taken a trip north, so we decided to pack up and head up to see Macy and family. We left home shortly after lunch on Friday making an effort to get a jump on weekend traffic. We slowed a bit in Tacoma, but mostly missed the worst of it. We had to stop in Auburn for a quick potty break and snack - Claire ate 5 bananas in 10 minutes and then cried when she realized there were no more to be had. We got up to Macy's house just before 5, and our girls made themselves at home. The trampoline, the kitty, the bird and the cousins (in that order) were all big hits! 

May 14th - The bouncing started early on Saturday but didn't last long because we needed to get out the door for Mariah's track meet. 

Her meet was in a little town not far from their house. She had to be at the school early, so we were able to explore, shop and eat a yummy lunch.

Mariah did really well in her events. She ran two relays and then the 100 and 200 meter races. It was a little difficult for us to occupy the three little girls, but they did a pretty good job too - especially considering that we were at the meet for over four hours. 

When the final event was done, we headed home... back to the trampoline! Never mind the fact that it POURED on our way home. These girls don't mind having damp buns. They just want to bounce!

After a delicious pasta dinner, we ended the night playing with the animals and singing happy birthday to grandma's voice mail.

May 15th - After visiting Matt and Macy's little church, we headed into the big city! The girls were all super excited for a day in Seattle - even in the rain. We didn't know that a big cheese festival was happening at Pike's, so it was a little extra crowded, but we had a great time. After a while we ended up at the water, watching boats and chasing birds. The kids rode the carousel and we ate a great crab dinner on the pier. We ended our adventure at Kerry Park - where there is a great view of the city. The playground was recently upgraded too and provided us with tons of fun before packing up and heading back south. I had been wanting to spend a day in Seattle, and this was exactly what I had envisioned! *You can click this collage to enlarge.

May 17th - Claire turns 18 months old. This needs its own post... stay tuned.

May 18th - Bethany, Eleanor and Benjamin are in town, so we spent the day with Emily, Daniel and Levi at the Beach. It was a really nice day - a little cold with the wind blowing, but the sun was glorious. It took Grace approximately 2.4 seconds to strip down to her undies after her feet touched the sand. Silly girl.

When Benjamin and Levi had consumed enough sand, we packed up and headed over to the camp to visit Uncle Jeff. We wanted to see the new road, the baby ducks and the hummingbird nest! I didn't take any pictures of the road or the ducks, but the nest was incredible. It was about the size of a golf ball, and the two baby birds were the size of peanut m&m's. 

Before we left, Uncle Jeff wanted to take the kids - all of them - to play mini golf. This was quite a sight... and the kiddos had a blast!

May 19th - Since Jeff had Thursday off, he and Emily brought their boys our direction so we could meet up at the zoo. It was one of our first really nice days, and since it is the end of the school year, the zoo was crawling with  people. We got there not too long after it opened and the whole parking lot was full. If it had just been me and my girls, we would have just gone home. Instead, we parked at the arboretum and trekked down the hill to the zoo entrance. The walk down wasn't too bad, but I was already dreading the walk back to our cars. The kids had a blast walking, running, skipping and dancing through the exhibits. Carrie and her boys met us there too, so we had the whole troop! It was great. Plus, I think the animals were loving the sun too... the bears, mountain lions, and elephants were showing off to the crowds.

After a long, hot day at the zoo, we headed home in hopes that the kids would nap for the remainder of the afternoon... it didn't happen. Instead we wound up heading back out to the park to burn off the rest of their magical energy stores. Jeff and Emily had errands to run in town, so they met us before heading home. We got sushi take out and sat in the lawn eating dinner, watching our kids, wishing we had one smidgen of their seemingly endless energy, not knowing how they were all still going strong.

May 20th - After all the activity of the week (and previous weekend) we really needed a down day. Friday was just that. We stayed in our pajamas until after lunch, we played inside and outside, but just around home. We got some laundry done, walked to Freddy's to buy Laura's shower gift, made an easy dinner and then finished our day with a fun movie night for the girls. Even after the day of "rest" they were tired. I don't blame them, I was tired too.

May 21st - Saturday was a celebration of Laura's upcoming wedding. She is my youngest cousin and is marrying her high school sweet heart this summer! Her two sister-in-laws, aka The Carries, threw a fantastic party!

After the shower my extended family - almost all of them - gathered at my house. We were missing a few, but  there were more than thirty of us here at one time. It was great! I love that even as adults my cousins still have fun together. 

May 22nd - The bacon party - that we have been looking forward to for weeks - but because of sickness we weren't able to go. Instead we took Grace to grandma's house for a fun night and Merrick and I took Claire on a date. It was a fun night even though it wasn't what we expected. We did, however, get a little treat from Mandy who was super sweet and dropped off a plate of left over bacon goodies for us. Thanks, friend!

May 23rd - Last week, while Eleanor was here, the robin eggs outside our front door hatched. Ella even found one of the egg shells! The girls had a great time being lifted up high each night to check on the baby birds. We have really enjoyed watching the baby birds grow and change this week. The mommy and daddy robins are very busy flying back and forth finding worms and feeding their babies.

May 25th - Skate world and Papa's pizza with friends! The girls had a great time, as always.

May 26th - Grace is becoming more interested in her writing and drawing. When she drew this particular masterpiece of a person doing jumping jacks I had to snap a quick picture before she had time to erase and start over. 

May 27th (morning) - We made it back to gymnastics for the first time in weeks. The kids had a blast. Funny that it is much easier for me to get a non-blurry picture of Claire here because she has to slow down a little to do the balance beam and rope swing. The big girls are impossible to capture because the speed through each element like pros. This little preschool class has been perfect for them these past few years. 

May 27th (evening) - When Merrick came home from work we packed up the kids and headed to Cooper Mountain nature park for a little adventure. There was a break in the rain, and the trails were nicely graveled, so it wasn't too muddy. We saw all sorts of things - slugs, snails, birds, deer, humming birds, millepedes, a dead mole, and some sort of large animal feces (I personally think it was from a Mountain Lion, but I can't be 100% certain). We had a great time hiking around and enjoying the fresh air.

May 28th (morning) - Last weekend while I was busy with Laura's shower, Merrick took the girls on an adventure and tried out the 4T trail. This is something I had been wanting to do, and since they had such a great time last week, we all did the 4T trail together today! You start on the trail, take the OHSU tram down to the waterfront, hop on the trolley through downtown Portland, and then ride the Max back to your car. We parked at the zoo and walked to the trail head. It was a little muddier this time around - thanks to all of the rain we got this last week, but we had a great time. If you live in the area and haven't experienced this adventure, I highly recommend it. 

May 28th (evening) - Because we had plans on Sunday, we decided to try out the Saturday night service at our church. I loved how relaxing it was... much smaller and more intimate than our massive Sunday morning services tend to be. I hadn't been to an evening service in the building since Christmas Eve, and was amazed at the emotions I experienced relating to that service. I will always have great memories of Christmas Eve 2010 - being together, with a healthy baby, not in the hospital, totally unexpectedly. It was a great evening! After church our Dief cousins came over to watch soccer and spend the night. We had a great time hanging out with them and wish we had more excuses to plan sleepovers. 

May 29th - After a fun, relaxing (read: lazy) morning with the Diefs, Merrick and I hopped on the Max and headed downtown for the Timbers game. We had a great time at the game - only our second of the season - but were disappointed in the outcome, witnessing the first home loss for the team. Because of the finicky weather, I decided to leave my camera at home this time around so I have no pictures from our afternoon. 

May 30th - Merrick had to go back down to Newport for work, so the girls and I decided to spend the week up north with Amy and her kiddos. We took Merrick to the airport on Monday morning at 5:45 and then just kept driving. We made it to Amy's house at 8 am - just in time to sit down to blueberry pancakes. We spent the rest of the day with Amy and her extended family celebrating cousins' graduations. It was fun to meet more of her family and have an excuse to relax on a sunny deck in a really nice part of Seattle. 

May 31st - Rain, rain, rain, but we headed to the zoo anyway. Thankfully the sun came out, and though we wished we were wearing short sleeves, we were glad for the sun and thankful we weren't soaked. The kids had a blast... it really is too bad they don't like each other at all and have no fun when they are together. 

So there you have it...our month in a nutshell. Now that it is all recorded I don't feel so bad that I didn't have time to keep up with this as I went. Stay tuned for more updates, more pictures, more stories, and more excuses explanations of why I can't keep up with my blog. =)