My two little trouble makers....

Milk and cookies under the table...
Can't you just see the trouble in these faces?? :)

A somewhat successful first hike...

The morning of Father's Day started out with snuggles...

and a sick little girl on the couch...

Our moods matched the gray skies and drizzle outside! By afternoon, though, the rain had stopped and we decided to take a chance and go on the hike we had planned for the afternoon! The girls excitedly packed up their snacks and drinks, and we were off for an adventure! Hannah started off the hike by eating her snack right away...

The hike was pretty flat, and along a river, and the trail went to a waterfall (that we unfortunately never made it to!)

Hannah liked to lead the pack, yelling back to warn us about any puddles or mushy spots on the trail...

Eliza did great in the backpack, until we let her get out, and then there was no getting her back in! She had the best time, practically running down the trail after Hannah, refusing to hold anyone's hand, which kept giving me a scare every time she almost tripped over the uneven ground and rocks. She insisted on stepping up onto every big rock in the path she came across, and then trying to jump off....this girl has a mind of her own!!

About 15 minutes into our hike, Clara started shivering, so Joe gave her his coat, and she got carried most of the way back. She ended up being pretty sick again that night....poor little girl is having trouble shaking this flu :(

We are looking forward to more hikes this summer, hopefully with sunny weather and kids who aren't sick!!

Happy Father's Day

These are the pictures the girls and I framed for Joe to take to work....

My friend, Kate, took them last week, and she captured the girls' joy and personalities so well! Joe can't wait to put them on his desk!!

I really cannot imagine a better dad for our girls. Joe adores each one of them, and appreciates their unique qualities, finding special ways to connect with each one. He is so great at entering Clara's pretend world and make-believing with her. They have a special bond, as they think and act A LOT alike :) Joe is just what Hannah needs in a fun, athletic dad, as he challenges her to jump higher, run faster, wrestles with her, and gives the best horsey rides! Eliza absolutely adores Joe! She is the first baby to really bond with Joe early on, and actually prefers him most of the time! She goes up to him and gives him kisses, hugs him and pats his back, and delights in the games he plays with her. She is always asking him to "jump, jump" outside on the trampoline and races to jump in his arms when she hears him come home from work. We are so blessed by how much Joe enjoys being "Daddy"!!!

Summertime!!

Two days in a row of gorgeous, sunny weather, and I think it's safe to say that summer has arrived! Clara spent a fun day shopping with her sisters and grandma on Friday for her birthday and got an impromptu haircut at the mall just in time for the warm weather! She got a fancy braid and sparkles in her hair after the haircut....

She has her loving sister on one arm and her new leopard from Build-a-Bear in her other arm! Clara LOVES her stuffed animals and always chooses Build-a-Bear with grandma. This special guy got a safari outfit and a tent to camp in, and Clara recorded her voice saying "Leopard loves you!" for his paw.
We spent Saturday at Golden Gardens beach, and it was so relaxing to sit in the sun and listen to the water! The girls made a neat discovery of some starfish right by where they were playing...

Clara had fun burying her feet...

and her legs!

Hannah thought it looked like fun too!

This is the incredible view we got to stare at. Seattle is beautiful in the sunshine!!

Our wave jumper...

Making sand castles...

Three little sand crabs...

Picnic lunch and hugs for Daddy!

Daddy and all his girls!

After Eliza's nap, the girls spent the late afternoon jumping on the trampoline with the sprinkler

This was Eliza first time with the sprinkler on the trampoline, and she LOVED it!!

Two cute kitties on their way to a dress-up birthday party :)

What a busy weekend, full of fun, and best of all, SUNSHINE!!!

Birthday Party!

Clara chose a swimming sleepover for her birthday this year. She wanted all of her cousins to be at her party (this girl LOVES her family!!), so we drove to Bend to spend her birthday weekend with some of the family and with two special cousins, Darien and Monica!

The swim center had this great kids pool that was super warm and had a fun duck slide that Eliza probably went down at least 40 times!
I was loving the warm pool, but these crazies ventured outside to the waterpark area to go down the big waterslide....

Clara was brave enough to go down all by herself...now that she is 5 :)

And sweet Darien waited for her at the bottom to make sure she made it safely!

I love this one of Joe and Hannah! Joe was making sure that Hannah didn't go under the water at all and lifted her so high I'm not sure she even got wet! The employee at the top of the slide told me he wasn't sure which one of them was having a better time ;)

Clara got this butterfly house for Christmas and had been waiting all spring for it to be warm enough to get her butterflies. The fifth butterfly came out from its cocoon on her birthday, and the girls had fun letting them go outside....

A pinata was Clara's other request for her birthday. This unicorn would not break open!!

Everyone took multiple swings at it, and Clara hit it over and over....

Even Eliza gave it a whack!

But in the end, after it had lost its head and a leg, I had to shake the candy out!

I always enjoy making the girls' birthday cakes, and I had some great assistants this year. Darien and Monica had some creative ideas for this "swimming pool" cake that Clara requested, complete with diving board, water slide and lifeguard!

Happy Birthday, Dear Clara!!!

Happy Birthday to you!!!