Get Outside!

We've been lucky to have some wonderfully sunny February days the past two weeks.  It's great to see the sun and I've been pushing the boys outside to play and enjoy the dry weather.  They haven't needed me to ask twice.

Playing in the raised beds. 

Playing in the sandbox at Greg and Brenda's. 

Colson enjoying the sun!

Out riding his quad. 

Cannon riding his motorcycle.

The boys checking out the fire hydrant...

Enjoying every moment.

My Little Valentine's

I was able to snap some quick pictures of the boys last weekend.  They don't really like to pose for pictures....who does?!  But, I got a few taken before they got too out of control, which wasn't too long after I started.  

Such cuties!
Enjoying every moment!

Ride the Duck!

We are currently on our mid-winter break.  Our district doesn't have a week off, but just a Friday and Monday.  (Monday is President's Day)   I knew we weren't going to be off on any big trip, which was fine.  But I wanted to do something fun with the kids.  So after some research, I decided to take the boys to 'Ride the Duck' which is a tourist activity near the Seattle Center.  We have seen the 'ducks' out and about and have always said we wanted to that.

The weather cooperated for us after a number of days of rain.  The temperatures were warmer and perfect for the open windows of the 'duck.'

The tour is an hour and a half, with about an hour touring around the city of Seattle and the other half an hour cruising Lake Union.  We saw some great views of the city, got up close to some other city attractions and had a lot of fun.  The driver/tour guide was informative and funny.  There was lots of music and jokes. We were definitely entertained!  Both boys enjoyed it, as did I.

After we were done, we headed across the street to ride the monorail to Westlake Center.  Colson wanted to ride the escalators, so we did...three stories down and three stories back up.  Then the boys got to stop at the candy store.  They spent quite a bit of time looking over every bin full of candy, trying to decide what to get.  They each decided on a few pieces of many different types.  We then sat in the food court and ate some lunch....and candy!

It was a great day!

Enjoying every moment!

Valentine's Day

Happy Heart Day!

I love that Valentine's Day falls on a Saturday this year.  We get to enjoy the entire day and not feel rushed to do something special.

Chris and I actually had a night out last night.  We went to dinner and a movie.  Both of us enjoyed a great dinner at Outback Steakhouse and then headed over to the movie theater and saw American Sniper.  We loved going out to dinner since we don't do that very often.  And it was nice to go without kids.  Uninterrupted conversation and eating.  No stopping to cut food or stop arguments!
The movie was very good, too.  We had heard many good reviews from friends and family.

Today, we enjoyed being at home all day.  (minus a quick trip to the grocery store for me and a trip to the auto parts store for Chris.)  The sun came out, the clouds parted and we actually had a nice, warm sunny day.  The boys played inside and outside.  Chris washed my car and his jeep.  I cleaned and vacuumed my car out and spent some time weeding and cutting back bushes.

We all ate too much Valentine candy to celebrate the day and enjoyed a nice dinner at home.  I BBQ'd marinated tri-tip steak and we had mashed potatoes, salad and rolls.  It was very good. (Leftovers for tomorrow, too!)

Cherishing the simplicity of today.

Enjoying every moment!

Pre-Valentine's Day

Since we didn't have school on Friday, February 13th and Valentine's Day was on a weekend day, everyone celebrated at school on Thursday.  

Colson made his Valentine Bag and got to pass out his Valentine's to his preschool classmates.  He told me they set all of the bags out on the table and everyone went around and put their Valentine's in. :)

Cannon worked on his bag earlier this week.  He also made a nice hand-made Valentine card for Chris and I.  He had his party later in the afternoon.  I wasn't able to stop by at that time, but he said it was fun.  That was about all I got out of him!  

My class had their celebration in the afternoon as well.  They opened Valentine's, frosted cookies and then had some time to do stations, all having to do with hearts and friendship.  It was a nice, relaxing, laid back hour.  The kids enjoyed it.  

When we got home from school, the boys had fun sorting through their Valentines and eating some of the treats.  They also got two cards in the mail.  One from Auntie Kanga and the other from Granny Joy.  

Exciting day!

Enjoying every moment!

The Weekend Lens

We had a good weekend.  Somewhat laid back.  Somewhat busy.  Two days is never long enough. Here is a look at the weekend...

The boys using their new paints and pencils from Grandma and Grandpa.  They had fun doing some creating!

The best part about making cookies is licking the beaters! We made a double batch of gingerbread cookies.  We ate some and packed up the rest for school.

I came downstairs Sunday morning and the boys had made beds for themselves out of the couch pillows, covered up and were happily playing their tablets.

We Finished up Colson's Valentines this weekend.  He never complained about writing his name 15 times!

 Cannon got two new pairs of pants this weekend.  He loves the gray pair...that you can't really see in the picture....but he wanted me to take a picture of him in his new pants!

Sunday the boys went to a birthday party at a bouncy place in Black Diamond.  They bounced for two hours straight and were totally exhausted!

Cannon and Colson received new books from Julie today.  Cannon enjoyed looking at the construction book that folded out into huge pages!  Pretty cool!

 
Enjoying every moment.

A Red Package

I always stop and get the mail when we pull onto our street.  Often, the boys will unbuckle and get ready to get out of the car when we pull into the driveway.  Colson noticed right away the red package that I set on the seat.  He read his name and knew that it was for him!  Cannon noticed his name was on the package, too.  The return address was from Arizona so they knew who it was from!

Once we got into the house, they had that package ripped open before I even had my bags put down and the lights on!  I did manage to get a few photos....and even made them put everything back into the bag to get a "before" picture!

They ate some of the chocolates right away and then have been enjoying the rest in their lunches this week.  At meals, they play the little pinball game each of them received.  Colson is learning the numbers 400, 500 and 50, because those are the points you get for landing in certain spots!

A brand new set of paints and colored pencils came, too.  The boys are working on pictures/drawings to send to Grandma and Grandma for their refrigerator in Arizona!

Thank you to Grandma and Grandpa Anderson for always thinking about the boys!  

Enjoying every moment!

Friday Night Fun for Cannon!

Cannon enjoyed watching Colson during his gymnastics class and new this place had an open gym on Friday nights.  He talked me into taking him last Friday night.  Cannon is usually a home body and doesn't ask to do much, so I took him, even though I really wanted to stay home.  (Don't tell him that!)  

Cannon loved every minute of the hour and a half!  He quickly made some friends and played on every piece of equipment he was able to.  He ran and jumped and laughed.  It was great to watch him have a good time.  I was proud of him for doing something new, where he was unsure of the situation and where he didn't know anyone.  That is huge for Cannon!  He's asking to go back again!  

Afterwards, I took Cannon to Menchie's for some frozen yogurt. It was after 9pm so it only cost $5 for as much as you could put in your cup.  Cannon ate all of his and part of mine!  I think he worked up a pretty big appetite!

Enjoying every moment.