Catching Bugs in the Magic Forest

Yesterday we received a fabulous b-day gift for A&H from our friends Sally and Luke. We got a whole supply of BUG CATCHING tools! A net, magnifying glasses, two cages, and more! The kids were insistent on taking a bug catching hike today!

We are lucky to live right near a wooded trail that runs through our neighborhood. We always hike this trail once or twice a week, and we have nicknamed it the Magic Forest. So, today we set off in the Magic Forest in search of critters. We had good success and managed to fill our new bug homes with lots of ants! Yea! (Mommy says they have to stay outside on the deck though...)

Thanks Sally and Luke for our good gifts! The kids love hiking and when we finished today, both Andrew and Hailey said, "This is the best hike we have EVER taken!"

Blankets from Aunt Jackie

We are so blessed by Greg's Aunt Jackie!! She is Judy's sister, and she was here this last week visiting us with her daughter Amy. On top of being so fantastic with our kids and being a wonderful person, she is also a gifted seamstress. So, we were the very lucky recipients of her handiwork!

She quilted a lovely blanket for each of the kids. On each one, the backside is made of this soft fuzzy warm material, while the other side is a flannel quilt with a cute pattern to it.

Hailey's has cute kittens all over it..
Andrew's has the cars from Lightning McQueen all over it. (How did she know he might like this?)
Greta's has colorful hearts all over it. She just calls the blanket "heart"... and carries it around the house saying "heart.. heart... heart." So cute!

Check out this beautiful handiwork! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Aunt Jackie! These are beautiful heirlooms!

4 year old check-ups

Andrew and Hailey had their 4-year old check-ups at the pediatrician earlier this week. I am so happy to give a good report on their growth and development!

Andrew:
37 pounds, 13 ounces (50-75%, so just above average)
40.25 inches tall (50-75%)

Hailey:
36 pounds, 13 ounces (50%)
40 inches (50-75%)

They are doing just fabulous on every metric, and we love watching their minds, their vocabulary, their motor skills, and their bodies grow! They bring us so much joy!

Here are pics when they were newborns.... I can hardly believe how much fun we have had in the last four years with these two. Praise the Lord that they are so healthy!

Summer Fun

We are having a delightful time now that summer is here! The kids are done with preschool and we are heading off to parks and beaches on all of the sunny days! Here are some pics of recent activities.

Also, for those of you who are following my job situation... I finally finished a year-long marketing consulting project I have been doing. (That was part-time, about 20 hrs/week). But I wrapped that up in May, so now I am home 100% of the time. Thank goodness! I will not be working for at least another year because I want to be home with my precious kiddos!

Drew and Hailey have been taking swimming lessons this past week and they LOVE IT! They are just beaming with excitement at each lesson. They are making such progress, too!




Greta is a little fish! She says "baby pool" all day long.

Greta has a new toy! A horsey to ride.... and one that even whinnies and shakes its tail. She is addicted to this thing!

Today we took a fabulous picnic to Lake Sammamish State Park, about 15 minutes from our home. Grandma Judy and Aunt Jackie and Cousin Amy were with us, which was a treat!

Hailey is completely addicted to this tire swing - she can swing on it for an hour!

We made an apple pie this morning. Here were are using the cool apple peeler-corer-slicer tool. The kids thought that was a pretty cool way to cut up an apple!

This is our little playhouse in our backyard (shown with our Aunt Jackie). This house is a new addition about three months ago. We play "big bad wolf" and the only safe place is in the house, otherwise Mama Wolf tickles!

Vacation Activities

Well, today is the last day of our two week vacation in Whistler. We have had a delightful time and now we are sooo relaxed after all of that time away from home!

Here are a few pics of some of our activities:
- Visiting LOTS of playgrounds. Here we are on the 'bumpy slide' in Whistler.
- Watching BEARS. We saw about 5-7 a day. They have been all around the property here, which is fun.
- Swimming in the pool here. The new water wings are great!
- Riding cars: Andrew and Hailey's favorite activity in "the lodge"
- Golf! Greg and I played 18-holes the other day at the Whistler Chateau course - was great!

Now, back to real life!

More Birthday Fun

Here are a few photos of the impromptu birthday party we did for A&H last Wednesday on their birthday. I say it was impromptu because we are vacationing at our timeshare house in Whistler. But the staff that works to manage the owners' lodge here has gotten to know our family well over the last few years, and they were the ones who insisted on a party! So, they decorated with balloons, gave a few gifts to the kids, and even had a pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey game for us (which Hailey won!). It was lots of fun! Andrew and Hailey had a delightful birthday week... and now they keep saying, "Can you believe I am four??!" Ha!