The End of Preschool

Another school year has come to an end. Marin has reached the end of preschool, having two wonderful years at Bethlehem Lutheran. Her teachers, Mrs. Meier (3 year old class) and Mrs. Sellke (4 year old class), have been wonderfully nurturing and faithful in teaching Marin the preschool basics and most importantly, that God loves her so very much. As a mother, this touches a special part of my heart, to know someone has been caring for my babe in those hours away from me.
 

 

And my little timid Madeline has completed (with gusto!) her first year of preschool with Mrs. Meier. It is amazing and awesome how a secure and loving preschool experience has helped my shy little girl come out of her shell!

 

We ended the year with a very special preschool graduation ceremony for Marin's class, and the family got all dolled up "Fancy Nancy" style! We are proud of our girl, and not afraid to show it. Nana and Poppy joined us for the ceremony too! There is a picture there of little Max folding his hands during prayer time, so cute :) 

Last event of the year was the annual school picnic, it was a tad bit rainy but Maddie insisted on one last picture with her beloved Mrs. Meier.

I am so thankful for a spiritually nurturing and enriching preschool for my kids! We are going to enjoy the summer ahead, but have a lot to look forward to with my preschooler and kindergartener this fall!

Field trip to the Duck Pond

What fortunate timing to be headed out on Maddie's field trip on THE most gorgeous day yet of 2011. I went with her preschool class to the Commonwealth Lake Park in Beaverton, it is an amazingly beautiful place! Last year Marin's class was rained out, and even YESTERDAY the other 3 year old class didn't see nearly as many ducks (so I hear). We saw a bazillion, with all ages of babies & colors/varieties of adults. One might think ducks are not that interesting, but I was totally enthralled. Can't wait to head back there with the family for some fishing (rumor has it, they stock it with trout). Such fun with my little duckling

Oh the dentist

Maddie had her first ever visit to the dentist. I wish I could say she was a perfect angel, but despite this darling little picture, the child flipped her wig. No picture of that, as we all kicked into high gear (me, Marin, Max, hygenist, dentist) to convince her she was going to be JUST FINE. She just had a hard time, my timid little sensitive sprout... But thankfully we were able to get the bare minimum accomplished... Let's just focus instead on this sweet little picture of my girls in their dentist chair! :)

Belated Anniversary Trip to Cannon Beach

Kyle and I took an overnight trip to Cannon Beach, to celebrate (a little belated) 11 years of marriage! We had such a good time, just strolling around, holding hands, enjoying the quiet, the dry skies (woop!), the very cozy and pretty studio, eating tons of yummy food, sipping coffee and just savoring the beautiful ocean. Thanks to Nana & Aunt Nancy for entertaining our kids & making their time away from us very special.

Raising money for St Jude Childrens Hospital

My sweet girls... They were so excited this year to ride in their preschool's bike-a-thon fundraiser, to raise money for St. Jude's Childrens Hospital. I love this fundraiser because it supports a hospital that does not  require families to pay, if they don't have insurance. Families of sick children can focus on their child's care, rather than stress about money. I can especially appreciate this sentiment, remembering one year ago when my precious Max was in Portland's Emanuel Childrens Hospital. I can't imagine the stress of paying such high bills on your own.

So needless to say, we were extra excited this year. The girls raised a total of $210! I am a witness that they truly biked their buns off, pedaling hard for those sick kids! Thank you to everyone who sponsored them and supported such an amazing cause.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there! A special prayer is always in my heart for those who are struggling to become a mommy, or have lost a little one. I am so blessed to have three special ones to call my own... They are my joy. The shenanigans of picture taking is well documented below :) I was spoiled with delicious cooking all night and day (thank you my dear Kyle), and even some cleaning up, woop! Some very special cards, new Mother's Day shoes, and THE cutest "family cupcake" I've ever seen, complete with two ladybugs & a bumblebee (coincidence! i guess the cupcake was meant to beeeeeee)... Sweetness all around :)

Weekend with A

We had a fun weekend watching our friends daughter while they went to a marriage conference (yeah, go marriage!) She is four months younger than Max, and THE cutest red-head you have ever, ever seen. She was a perfect angel for us (ask me how MY baby did that weekend... he was a little stinker, which is why he looks a little grouchy in all the pictures... I've decided I still love him)... We had lots of cuddle time, a trip to the tulip farm, dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory and so many fun memories in between. I think my kids want a baby sister now. We love you little A!

The Bury's are back!

Our beloved friends ~ the Bury family ~ are back in Oregon! We were so lucky to share with them, their first week "home" as they stayed with us while house-hunting. Our kids had the time of their lives, and the moms & dads stayed up WAY too late almost every night as we soaked in all the special time. It was a time of bonding & wonderfulness. I actually had tears in my eyes the day they "moved out"! Such a special time, and we are so happy for them as they settle into their new chapter of life. Some pics of the cute kids :) Including Kyle making a volcano in the sandbox (anything to impress the 5-and-under crowd!)...

Longbeach Girls Weekend

I am so luck to have a mom & sister that I enjoy spending time with. The three of us took a girls weekend together to Longbeach (my mom sponsored the trip, thanks Mom!), one last hurrah before my sister becomes a mommy again :) We had such a good time talking, laughing, sleeping, drinking coffee and roaming the town & beach. We also surprised Jess w/ a mini-baby shower for baby Jackson, coming in June. Our trip was short, but DEFINITELY sweet! Thanks also to our generous and hard-working husbands for watching our kids so we could do this (especially Geoff, my brother-in-law who did this while feverishly fighting off the flu!). We are blessed women.

Silly happy kids

Easter at Nana & Grandpa's

While we were in San Diego for a family wedding, the kids got the special treat of staying with my parents in Seattle. My sister's family also joined them early on in the weekend, and when our flight got home on Easter Sunday, we all joined in on an egg hunt & super delicious Easter meal (soooo good, Mom!). I am super good at taking pictures of my kids with an Easter egg perfectly covering one eye. He is risen!

Goose eggs

Kyle was super excited to bring home a couple goose eggs to wow the girls. What a fun, foodie Dad these kids have! I think they were impressed with how much bigger they are than chicken eggs. Marin mentioned later that she was a little worried about that little goose baby that might be trying to get out.