Happy Birthday Maggie!!

Today Maggie is 4. She is very excited. She keeps asking me when we can get Dad and Jackson so we can open her presents and have her cake. She is a talker. It's hard to get her to stop sometimes :) She is also starting to make her birthday list for when she is 5. She was hoping that would be tomorrow..... We are doing her presents and cake tonight so I will post pics later - or sometime....

I'm really sick today. Maggie wanted to know why I had to be sick on her birthday.

Ferry

 

On our way to the Sea/Tac airport we decided to take one of the ferries. It was a lot of fun. That is something I remember from growing up. We moved when I was 7 so I don't remember a whole lot but the ferry was always a highlight. The kids liked it. Anytime they can get out of their carseats they like it...... It was a pretty chilly day but they still enjoyed running around and looking over the edge.

more WA

 

I thought this was a very cute picture of my niece, Becca, and Hailey. It was great to be around Becca - she loves to entertain the kiddos and help out with them.

 

As you can see, Hailey was quite happy to find a rock she could climb. Maggie wouldn't really do the big rock but this was more her size also.

 

That is a classic Jackson expression. It was probably right after we told him to wait for us and be careful not to fall in the water. I'm sure his response was "why?"

WA trip

 

After Gma's memorial service we went down by the water in Poulsbo. Sarah and Aaron remember downtown from when we were kids. I don't remember any of it..... We had fun turning over rocks looking for crabs. Hailey was doing it too. At first the kids wouldn't touch the crabs but it wasn't long before they were holding them in their hands. Maggie was not impressed by the mud/dirt in her sandals. Hailey wanted to be in the water not just next to it....

 

As we were walking along the sidewalk we came across this huge rock. Of course, Jackson (and Matt) had to climb it. Hailey obviously thought it was an excellent idea too. She wasn't very happy that she couldn't figure out how Dad did that.

 

The docks were close by so we headed down there. Good thing Aaron and Jaime were with us to attempt to keep all the kids on dry land!! They were fascinated by all the creatures growing/living on the posts under the water. It was very nerve wracking for the adults but we all made it back without falling or jumping in!

Grandma Campy

My Grandma passed away this last Thursday - April 22. I found out as we were waiting in the airport for our flight out to visit. She hadn't been doing very well for quite some time but took a quick turn for the worst at the beginning of the week so we decided to head out for a visit. We knew it was a possibility that we might not make it in time so it wasn't a complete shock but still rough.
It was great to be able to see all my family together even for a sad occasion. My Grandma was a pretty neat lady. She was incredibly talented. It has been very difficult for her in the past few years as she wasn't able to put those skills to use anymore. When I was younger she did a lot of ceramics and quilting. She made a quilt for our wedding. She was also the one who was always responsible for the pies at any holiday gathering. I loved to visit and learn from her. She would send me care packages with dinner rolls instead of cookies when I was in college because they were my favorite. We will definitely miss her but I am glad that she isn't suffering anymore.
I will post some pics from our trip soon......

Pop rocks

 

While Matt went into Lowe's one day the rest of us waited in the car - luckily I had something to entertain them..... remember Pop Rocks? I thought they were so cool when I was a kid. Actually I still think they are so cool :) It was very entertaining to watch the kids eat them. Even Hailey was getting into it. She would hold her mouth open to listen to them pop. I should remember to keep an emergency pack in the glove box.....

outside

 

Although we don't have a yard - at least there is a grassy patch outside the apartment. The kids are always posing for the camera. Especially Maggie. She wants me to take lots of pictures and then show her how they look on the camera. Hailey is getting into it to and will say 'cheese' when she sees the camera. I think that's what she thinks it's called. I love energetic kids but wow, right now they wear me out!!

building lot

 

These are some pictures of a recent visit to the lot where we plan to build a house. It's a pretty flat lot with a lot of trees. Kind of sad that most of them will have to be cut down but we will try to preserve a few. It's only about 2-3 blocks from our apartment so we can take the stroller and visit fairly often. The kids love it because they can play in the dirt, collect sticks, acorns and pretty much run wild. Matt and I like to visit and try to plan things out in our mind.... notice the measuring tape on his back pocket......

Oh, and don't forget to take notice of Maggie's clothes. I keep trying to teach her about matching but she doesn't care. She likes to have her own style. She will still wear shoes that don't match on occasion.

Easter Egg Hunts

 

Maggie and Hailey had an easter egg hunt at the library for story time one day. The eggs were hidden amongst the books. Hailey was into it for about 3 eggs, then she got distracted by the puzzles. Maggie enjoyed it and found 12 eggs on her own while I helped Hailey. Hailey was interested when she realized that there was candy in the eggs.....

 

A group of moms does a playdate every Friday and one of them volunteered to host an egg hunt at their house. It was a lot of fun for the kids. Jackson especially loved searching for the eggs. Maggie was happy to find hers on the ground and then go play. Hailey was happy picking up eggs until she saw the swings. All of these guys absolutely love being outside right now. I think it's the lack of yard..... we don't get out nearly as much as we used to. I feel kind of bad about that.....

Jackson also had an egg hunt at school. Since they had all done two easter egg hunts already we decided not to do our own. We just did Easter baskets and spent the day at home. We did have ham, mashed potatoes and rolls for dinner. One of the very few meals I have cooked recently. It's happening more and more now that we are in an apartment and actually have a kitchen!!

Take a ride on the bus......

 

Ever since Jackson started preschool when he was 3 he has asked to ride the bus. We have never lived in an area where he could until we moved here. We are only about a mile and a half from the school but that's far enough. The bus stop is about 2 blocks from our apartment - so we walk him there and meet him there each day. He was a excited but nervous the first day. Apparently he was worried that there would be a bully on the bus. In one of the pictures he is running to me so excited that there was not a bully on the bus. He loves to ride the bus eventhough it means leaving earlier. It gets him to school about 1/2 hr early although his bus ride is only about 10 min each way. Maggie and Hailey like to go to meet the bus whenever we take him.

Historical Williamsburg

Whew, I found the camera.....!!

 

At the end of March we made a trip down to wiliiamsburg, VA. It was neat to see such a historical place. Well, Matt and I thought it was pretty neat. The kids, as you can see in the pictures, just thought it was very cool to be outside on such a nice day. They spent their time collecting rocks, sticks, grass etc. They didn't care about the history at all. Needless to say we didn't try to fit in very much sightseeing......

to build or not to build.....

We are still seriously considering building a house here in Maryland but for some reason we are having a hard time committing to it......
Anyway, we have looked at a lot of house plans and this is the favorite. It's not exactly perfect but pretty close. It will be a big house though. The main floor is about 1800 sq ft so with a finished basement it would be close to 3600 sq ft. Yikes. I was pretty happy with our 2200 sq ft in Brigham! We really need to get on the ball and make a final decision soon. We are already looking at the house being finished in the winter months.
I would love to find one a built house to buy right away because I would have a YARD that much sooner. The kids are a little bit nuts without the physical activity they are used to......

Ugh. Feeling a little negative........

1. The digital camera is missing.....

2. I am pregnant - I reall, really need to pee but the toilet overflowed and I have to wait for some of the water to drain down to plunge it.......

3. It's already almost in the 90s here and our AC is not working.....

4. There are some creepy bugs here..... This is a house centipede. It doesn't bite and eats things like spiders, roaches and bed bugs...... but is still one of the creepiest bugs I have seen in a house. We have caught 4 or 5 of them already. They are an 1" or 2" long and crazy fast.