Spring Break!
We intentionally did not make a lot of plans this week (other than cleaning out the garage, yippee)...it was just nice to enjoy a completely free, unscheduled week. No school, no swimming, no bible study, no MOPS, no homework...nada. The girls just love to stay in their pjs all day and play. Or sit around and play with their cell phones (our old ones)...

or play outside...click on the photo and check out Ainsley's outfit, right down to the crazy socks. And YES, those are pajamas...

Several new posts, lots of photos...be sure to scroll wayyyyy down....

Ainsley's New 'do!!
As much as I love Ainsley's long hair, it was getting so straggly and damaged from all the swimming lessons and decided it was time for a cut. WOW. I wish I had done this sooner, the adorable bob suits her hair and facer perfectly. Thank you Christy!! She just looks so cute and grown-up!


Before....


Christy working her magic


Taking a little break to pose


Almost done....

After...

What a sassy new look!

Girl's Weekend!!

I took Hayley on her first ever girls weekend. She has been DYING to go on one and I really wanted the time for the two of us to just hang out and be together. It was SO FUN! First we headed to the Tacoma mall for some shopping and lunch, then to the hotel. We stayed one night at the Alderbrook Resort on Hood Canal - what a beautiful place! We relaxed and read and painted our nails, went to dinner at the hotel restaurant (FABULOUS food), watched The Princess Bride, worked on sewing a teddy bear and stayed up late talking. In the morning, we ordered room service for breakfast and watched some TV, worked some more on the bear and just vegged. On the way home, we stopped for coffee, and then at the mall for some more shopping. It was a really really fun trip, and just so great for me to be able to have that one-on-one time with Hayley. That girl can TALK! I think she completely enjoyed her first girls weekend!

Ainsley's 5th Birthday, part deux
She chose to have a cooking party - an idea we found in Family Fun magazine. The thought of 11 kids making lasagna in our house was a bit scary, but it was actually a LOT of fun!!! We made chef hats for everyone, and they all put on their aprons and got ready to cook! Each kid got to make their own individual lasagna. (thank you to my mommy helpers!!). Once they had assembled their lasagna and they were in the oven, they got creative and decorated personalized placemats and then upstairs to play and get the wiggles out. After they were baked, they came back down to eat. They were yummy and the kids really enjoyed eating their own creations.


Chef Ainsley - hands are washed and ready to cook!

Kendal, Hope, Laci and Emily are ready to make lasagna

Caleb chose to drive his car in his lasagna

Gloria got the prize for prettiest lasagna

Anna & Ella waiting patiently for their lasagna to be baked

Christy got into the spirit of the party

Michele too...though she looks more like the Pope than a chef

Ainsley and Grant making placemats

Yay, we can eat!

Michele and Tate enjoying his creation

I'm five, I'm five!!!

The apron cake

Happy Birthday Ainsley!

Ainsley's 5th Birthday
So hard to believe she is 5!!! What happened to our baby? Time flies. :( We had a fun time with the family celebrating her birthday. She chose a valentine's theme for that party which was a lifesaver for me since the house was already decorated for Valentine's Day! :) When I asked her what she wanted for her birthday dinner, she answered "tomatoes, pickles, olives, strawberries, pasta and hot chocolate." Not very specific, that girl. She also chose a heart-shaped strawberry cake, which was actually quite tasty - fresh strawberry cake with strawberry cream cheese filling and buttercream frosting. YUM.


The yummy cake


Sensitive ears? Or bad singing?


Ainsley and daddy


Uncle Klutzy. Uhh, I mean, Allen.

Valentine's Day

I love Valentine's Day with kids! I have a lot of decor that I keep reusing and Dan and I like to put it up after the kids are in bed the night before. And they love waking up to all of it. It was so nice that it was on a Saturday this year so we could make a day of it. We had pink heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast, along with some fun gifts for the girls. For dinner we decided to go simple and have cheese fondue. YUM. It was so so good, we couldn't get enough of it. And then topped it off with some cake balls for dessert. Double YUM. All in all, it was a fun day!

What my kids think....
I already posted this on Facebook but had to add it here, just so I would have a record of it. My kids crack me up!!! And just fyi, I can't STAND Chuck E Cheese!

Kid QuestionnaireAsk your child(ren) to answer the questions and type their answers in.Tag other moms with older kids who might have fun with this. ( just type what the kids said...)

Ages 8-1/2 and 5 (the first answer on each is Hayley, the 2nd is Ainsley)

1. What is something mom always says to you?
"Suuuure." "Be good, take medicine"
2. What makes mom happy?
"staying at home" "being good"
3. What makes mom sad?
"us not getting along" "being mad like if you spit out food on the floor"
4. How does your mom make you laugh?
"saying something, pretty much anything" "being silly and funny"
5. What was your mom like as a child?
"crazy" "I don't know, did you have any hair?"
6. How old is your mom?
"39" "37"
7. How tall is your mom?
"4'9" "you mean what inches? 38?"
8. What is her favorite thing to watch on TV?
"The Office" "American Idol, Biggest Loser"
9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
"do your nails" "work"
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
"cooking" "for singing, like la la la la la"
11. What is your mom really good at?
"cooking" "Sorry (the game)"
12. What is your mom not very good at?
"eating things you don't like" " Rat-a-Tat-Cat (a card game)"
13. What does your mom do for her job?
"You don't have one" "work"
14. What is your mom's favorite food?
"open-faced ravioli" "spaghetti"
15. What makes you proud of your mom?
"there's a lot of things...I can't choose" "because of the star chart"
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
"Minnie Mouse" "well, not an animal, not Goofy..."
17. What do you and your mom do together?
"paint our nails and watch movies" "play Wii Fit"
18. How are you and your mom the same?
"we like the same things...well, SOME of the same things" "our eyes, because brown and brown...and our lips. Oh, not our lips, because yours are big and mine are small"
19. How are you and your mom different?
"you like tomatoes, I don't" "because you're more bigger and I'm more smaller, and your hair is black and my hair is brown"
20. How do you know your mom loves you?
"because she takes me to get really good clam chowder" "because I'm special"
21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
"he stays at home when he works" "Because he's handsome"
22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
"on vacation" "Chuck E Cheese's"