Hungry, hungry girlies...

I've heard it said before that boys will eat you out of house and home. Whoever said that hasn't met my girls. Grace has always been a big eater. She just plain loves food - and unless totally distracted by something more fun - will eat just about anything that is put in front of her.

Today the girls both started swimming lessons (more about that soon). I wanted to make sure they would have enough energy, so we ate an early dinner before heading to the pool. We were at the pool until 7:00 tonight, and on the way home it was very obvious that the girls were going to need another round of dinner. So, we did the logical thing, and went through the drive through at Wendy's. By the time we finally filled their bellies and got them to bed, Grace had consumed:

• 1 1/2 deluxe double stack hamburgers
• 1 small fries
• 2 bananas (that were covered in whipped cream)
• 1 bowl of fried rice
• 2 carrots
• 1 bowl of pineapple
• 2 glasses of water

She would have kept going (she was begging for an avocado and a bowl of cereal) but we had to cut her off and get her in bed for the night. 

I wonder how much our food budget will increase during swim season. =)

Frozen...

This afternoon I had a little free time and dug out all of my old baby food jars from a box in the garage. Once I got them all cleaned up, I filled them and stuffed my freezer with various baby food purees. I'm sure it will only last a week, but it feels good to be just a little ahead of the game. 

 I guess this guy is worth it. =)

Snapshots {week 12...}

Spring Break Week. Somehow this week was extremely anticlimactic, and yet was exactly what we all needed. Mostly downtime, with a few scattered adventures. 

Still loving his food - we've now added sweet potatoes and prunes to his limited rotation. 

 His ears are super ticklish, but I'm usually the only person who can consistently find that specific tickle spot.

 Good morning big sister.

 My little buddy and I on a wild and rainy run. He is such a good little companion on the road - and a great distraction for me.

 My P.T. finally cleared me to start running again, and this is what happens. Yuck!

 Happy, happy boy. (He sticks his tongue out to indicate that he is done eating... a blocking mechanism of sorts.)

Claire was a big fan of this dinner. She at took 18 pictures of her meal (yes, I counted) and ate two bowls full of food. 

Not 100% stable yet, but he's getting pretty good at sitting.

My Friday morning started face-down on this table... bliss!

Grace is convinced that Isaac loves Dinosaurs, so she has become quite proficient at drawing him dino pictures.

And one of Claire's drawings - just another example of the many random pictures that end up on my phone every week.

 I caught Isaac asleep holding on to the arm of his French alligator toy.

Merrick took the girls up to the Mountain again today. I opted to stay home with the baby, so was thankful that they took a few pictures of their time.

I love this attempt of a group shot on the lift.

 This little guy and I had a very productive day - full of laundry, errands, and lots of cooking. While Merrick and the girls were gone I cooked: 6 quarts of chili, 2 lasagnas, 2 chicken enchilada casseroles, 20 freezer burritos, 4 cups of cooked/shredded chicken, 4 cups of cooked ground beef, and 4 quarts of chicken stock. In all - that should equal almost 50 lunches for Grace and a handful of dinners for the whole family. Yay!

Stormy days...

Isn't March supposed to go out like a lamb? I don't think our weather has gotten that memo. I can't believe the amount of rain we have gotten this week. Thankfully, we didn't have much planned today and could just lay low at home. We did venture out this afternoon for a pizza dinner and a quick visit with family. We didn't get to stay long, but had a good time while we were there. 

On the way home the stormy sky was pretty amazing. I loved this tri-layered cloud - pink, white and blue. The picture doesn't quite do it justice. It really was beautiful.  

TBT {week 5}...

Today (March 27th) he is 27 weeks old... that is a golden birthday of sorts. Can't believe this was over six months ago.

Tea time...

This morning the girls and I ventured out to Forest Grove for Mahala's birthday party. She had a very sweet and simple tea party - complete with fancy hats, egg salad sandwiches, and strawberry short cake for dessert. We stayed way longer than I expected, but Wendy and I tend to get talking and have a hard time stopping. (Shocking, right?) My girls don't get to see Dahlia and Mahala much anymore, so it was fun for them to have a nice long play date too. 

Indoors...

Today the rain returned with a vengeance.  With the exception of a few quick errands, we spent our day at home. The girls are a little worn out from a day of skiing, and I just need to catch up on some things around the house, so it worked out well.

After dinner we met our E8 friends at Safari Sams. On the way to Sherwood there was a beautiful rainbow in the sky (the picture doesn't do it justice). I loved listening to the girls talk about rainbows. No matter how old I am, they still seem magical to me.

 Our evening with friends was fantastic. The kids ran and played and completely wore themselves out. We didn't get home until almost 10, and after a quick snack, they both crashed.

Timberline...

On Monday the girls still weren't feeling great, but we decided to take advantage of our free day and head to the mountain (Mt. Hood to be exact). Grace had been up once this season with Merrick, but Claire hadn't yet had the chance to go. The weather was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. We could not have hand picked a better day to be there.

 We got up to Timberline a little late, and didn't have much time on the mountain, but the girls did great. Grace is a pro - riding the lifts and skiing down totally on her own. Claire rode the lifts with Merrick, and needed just a little boost to get off, but then could manage the hill solo. Isaac and I sat in the sun on the patio, met some interesting people, and enjoyed our view. We had a few little blips in our plans, but all-in-all, it was a pretty perfect day.

 

 This is a random picture... but it accurately shows just how warm it was.

Sick in the sun...

I hope think we are at at the tail end of this cold, but the kids are just sick enough that we are still keeping our distance from the rest of humanity. I am so thankful that on days like today we have Ustream and don't have to completely miss out on church.

After church we decided that we all needed to get out for a bit. We packed up and took off and enjoyed a late picnic lunch at the park. After a few hours we decided to head home, but instead stopped at Commonwealth Park on the way and let the girls ride their scooters around the pond. It was fun to watch the people fishing, the ducks diving (Claire thought that was hilarious), and just enjoy the sun. Eventually we did head home for hot baths, a quick dinner, and stories before bed.

Today was a good day, but I am really ready for everyone to be healthy again.

 

Snapshots {week 11}...

This has been a really quiet week (if you couldn't already tell by my previous boring blog posts). No grand adventures, just the usual routine, but with three sick kids. Claire came down with a yucky cold on Saturday night, by Tuesday Isaac had a cough and fever, Wednesday and Thursday Grace stayed home from school, and Friday and Today were full of canceled activities... well, those that would have put us around other people at least. It is never fun to have a house full of sickness, but it is nice to slow down a bit and just stay home.

On Sunday Merrick and I were supposed to go to the Timbers game. Since Claire woke up sick, he ended up staying home with the girls and my dad and I went to the game with Isaac. He did awesome (Isaac, not my dad). =) I tried to take pictures, but I was having technical difficulties with my phone.

Most of these need no explanation...

Killing time waiting for the doctor.

Grace is doing great with her speed drills and we are so proud of her!

Claire had to go up to her room for a time out (not uncommon). I hollered up to her, but when I got no response I went to see what trouble she had gotten in to. Instead, I found this. A mess of Uno cards and her sound asleep on the floor of her bedroom. 

First day of spring = playing out in the sun.

Enough sun to air-dry the diapers!

Both girls had swimming assessments at our local pool today. Claire has never taken lessons and it has been almost 2 years since Grace was in lessons, so we didn't know which level to start them in again. After a morning or swimming (first with the instructor, then with daddy) both girls are all set and super excited to start lessons again next week!

Saturday at New Seasons - a quick stop because they always have good samples on Saturdays.

This sick guy isn't breathing very well, so he slept in our room again last night. He is too big for the bassinet, but still sleeps well.