HAPPY EASTER!

The kids woke up to Easter baskets sitting next to their beds filled with summer fun -- swim suits & towels, bouncy balls, and of course, some candy. Here they are checking out their baskets.....

Next, they realized that there were a bunch of eggs laying around and that they should probably find them. Maleah is searching hard......

Time for church! All dressed up and ready to go (with the new bouncy balls from the Easter Bunny)......

The girls and I went shopping for their dresses last weekend. I unfortunately learned that my girls LIKE to shop when they are shopping for themselves. It was a really fun day trying on and picking out dresses, sandals and head bands. I think they both must have tried on about 30 dresses and 15 different pairs of sandals. Cameron could really care less what he wears so Rena picked his out for him......

After church we went over to our neighbors house, Jason & Hale, for breakfast......

The men......

They have a skateboard ramp in their backyard -- the girls just use it for running up and down -- no skateboard needed......

They also have a small BMX bike track in their backyard. This is Cameron & Jason riding.....

Rena doesn't ride the track, but she likes to ride.....

Time for an egg hunt......

Gabby, Jacinda and Rena checking out what they got in their eggs......

The girls -- Maleah, Gabby and Rena.....

More girls -- Hale, Marisa and Me......

It was a great Easter weekend!

EGGAPALOOZA

Saturday was a fun day over at our church. Every year they put on an Easter Festival, Eggapalooza, and invite the whole community. This year it had a rock wall, train & pony rides, jumpies, a petting zoo, kids' tattoos, cookie decorating, photos with the Easter Bunny, egg hunts and lots of food -- hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, lemonade, snow cones and cotton candy -- and it's all free!

Here are some pictures of our fun time......

First round of snow cones......

Maleah on one of the 5 jumpies.....

Rena in the egg hunt -- better described as "pick up as many eggs as you can before someone else gets them".....

Rena and Maleah on a pony ride.....

Second round of snow cones.....with cotton candy this time (and our neighbor, Decklen, that went with us).....

We had a really fun time.....and from what we heard on Sunday the whole thing was a big success with over 4,000 people attending!!

EASTER EGGS

Easter egg coloring at our house was serious business this year. All 3 kids got really into it trying to make their eggs super bright, 2-toned or just crazy.....

I now have 4 dozen hard boiled eggs to eat.......all 3 kids love to color them, but none of them like to eat them!

A FUN SATURDAY

Our Saturday started with a picnic in the park in our neighborhood. The home owners association hosted an Easter Celebration with breakfast, games, face painting and the Easter Bunny.

Cameron, Jeff and Maleah eating a yummy breakfast.....

Rena competed in the hula hoop competition......she made it to the finals and was the 3rd person left.....

Gabby and Maleah.....

Cameron and Greyson.....

Cameron & Jeff and some big feet......

Rena, Gabby and Maleah waiting to get their faces painted -- it was a long, SLOW line.....

.....but worth the wait -- all 3 chose a cute little bunny.....

Had to say "HI" to the Easter Bunny before we left.....

After the picnic we headed out to Cameron's baseball game.......

It was a beautiful, hot day and Jeff and the girls stayed cool in the tent.....

.....I stayed cool by having the girls squirt my feet with their water fans.....ahhhhh......if only they always wanted to pamper me! :)

SPRING BREAK 2011

The kids and I spent another Spring Break in Washington and, again, had a great time! Luckily when we vacation in Washington it is for the people that we see and not the weather!! We definitely got to experience the rain that we moved away from.

We arrived on Wednesday morning and spent the first couple of days with Megan & Alex while they were on Spring Break. The kids really love each other and have a great time together. Rena and Maleah immediately attach themselves to Megan and Cameron and Alex manage to get all of the Lego's out in about 5 minutes. It's so great to see these cousins having so much fun together......

The kids love Mike's dogs too -- this one is Hershey.....

Stacy likes to spoil the kids when they are there -- ice-cream for desert the first night.....

.....and doughnuts for breakfast (this one was actually thanks to Mike!).....

Just hanging out.....

The kids also like Mike's quads -- here's Cameron on the little one and Mike on the big one.....

Here's Maleah on the little one and Megan on the big one.....

Maleah was so funny -- she loved driving this and had no fear (unlike her mother watching her!).....

Alex had a couple of games (Life & Sorry) waiting for the kids and they played them more than a few times throughout the week......

On Sunday we went to the Children's Museum in Olympia......

Maleah & Megan getting ready to do a show for us (although once they got dressed up they gave up on the show!).....

This was a wall of soft pins that you could lean against to leave the impression of your body.....

Notice Mike......this was about his funnest part of the day -- making different goofy faces at me while I was taking pictures (I think next time Mike will find something else to do when we go to a Children's Museum!).....

This water table was a big hit with the kids......

.....even Mike participated in this one.....

Rena liked the sand table......

On Monday the kids went over to Grandma Lynne's for the day. They had a great time hanging out and playing with her animals. She has 3 cats and 3 birds. I'm pretty sure those animals will never be the same after these 3 kids got their hands on them.....

The bird kept getting stuck in Rena's hair.....

Even Megan got to hold the birds when we went to pick the kids up.....

On Tuesday we drove up to Snoqualmie to visit our friends, The Mudds. We first met The Mudds when Max and Cameron were in Preschool together in 2005 and love that we have stayed in touch and that we get to see them when we go home to visit......

Isabella and Rena also went to Preschool together when they got old enough to go.....

The boys played some Lego's and, of course, squeezed in a couple of video games.....

A great friend to me, Pamela -- we have kept in contact through the years and through all of our moves and I just love being able to see her and catch-up in person -- so nice to talk face-to-face rather than on the phone.....

On Wednesday we headed back up to Snoqualmie to visit with our PEPS group of friends. We all gathered at The Brenne's house and the day was filled with fun with The Hardwicks and The Battistels, who drove down from Vancouver, BC so that we could all be together. I have luckily kept in touch with all of these friends and love how we can get together and it feels like it was just yesterday that we saw each other. I met these moms and kids when Cameron was just a baby (before Rena and Maleah) and am so thankful that they are still part of our lives.

Rena, Campbelle, Beckett, Maleah and Marcus (with the rest of them also making a mess around the table) eating Jill's great lunch that she made for us.....

All the kids playing.....

Cameron & Marcus.....

Cameron & Christian......

Sara & Rena dancing.....

The whole group -- Marcus, Adam, Cameron, Sydney, Christian, Rena, Campbelle, Sara, Maleah and Beckett.....

These are the moms that have seen me at my best and worst of parenting moments! :) Laurel, me, Stephanie and Jill.....

We have a few laughs when we are together......

On Thursday we headed up to Issaquah to visit with our friends from our old neighborhood. Allison and Rena went to Preschool together also when we were living there.

Allison, Rena and Katie.....

Cameron & Jake -- Cameron manages to find a video game at every house we visit!.....

Maleah, Rena & Allison......

Cameron, Maleah, Rena, Jake & Allison.....

Another great friend that I am thankful has kept in touch with me through the years, Sherri.....

Time for a little bit more fun at The McCullough's -- dancing to the XBox Kinect.....

Maleah and Uncle Mike hanging out.....

We got outside a little bit when it wasn't raining. Rena wanted nothing to do with the quads, but she loved feeding the dogs and neighbor's horses.....

Maleah taking Cameron for a ride.....

Cameron wants one of these now......

Maleah loves hanging with Megan -- even when she's asleep.....

Our last day -- it was dry outside so we went to The Daffodil Parade in downtown Puyallup......

Rena was sooooooo excited that she found a daffodil. We actually had to carry it home with us -- it eventually ended up in my purse and is actually probably still there today.....

Back at home -- our goodbye's always start (and end) with lots of family pictures.......

I really love how much fun they have together.....

Me and my sis -- wish we lived closer, but LOVE our times together......

The kids love their Aunt Stacy.....

At the airport waiting to go home......

TIRED kiddos after a fun, fun, fun 10 days.....

We are already looking forward to seeing all of these great friends again at Spring Break 2012!! (Unless, of course, anyone wants to take a trip to SoCal before then......we are always ready for visitors!!)