spring break snapshots

I'm clinging to the delusions that although there's only five hours of spring break left I'm still going to finish two more books, take a dozen afternoon naps, browse Nordstrom Rack, write my first novel, and scrapbook the first two years of Ian's life. It's been a good run. Even though there's never enough time to do everything I imagine in my head, we've made the most of our staycation and logged a few more miles in the family memory bank.

Our favorite slice of Portland. Train. Toy Store. Bunk. Ice Cream.

Then we road-tripped it South for a day.

My hot chauffeur

I had high expectations for this trip

My little companions were happy to run and play

The plan to wear them out...

Worked like a charm

Family hike

This guy moved a little quicker then the Hsieh clan

The first thing every trip had in common...peanut butter and jelly sandwiches

little diva

The wind really cooperated with this dramatic pose

Then we decided to join the other 200,000 children that live in the area and visit the Children's Museum

We made the most of it

Until we didn't

Which led to this...the other thing every adventure had in common.

Eggtopia tradition at Hope Fellowship

Basketball with Uncle Stan

Little sugar cheeks

And lastly...we went to Wheel of Fortune with our lovely neighbors

SO...MUCH...FUN!

First of all. Pat is hilarious. I tried to sweet talk the security guard into letting me spin the wheel but I'm afraid I would have had to agree to more than I was prepared for. So I said my goodbye's and left. My dreams of being pulled out of the crowd and replacing Vanna because she came down with a sudden case of whooping cough were not realized. But I did get a flashing wheel pin as a parting gift. Just as good.

labor of love...

2 hours + 180 inches of counterspace + a stay at home mom with little creative outlet =

buttermilk carrot cake cupcakes with toasted coconut and candied pecans

It's so cute, I'm not sure if I should eat it or swaddle it up and take it out for a stroll in the pram.

spring break adventure #1

Ben was nice enough to let me take the first couple days of his spring break to get away with the lovely ladies of our small group. When your first thought after putting your bag down is whether you should take a nap, eat a bowl of chocolate covered pretzels, or go sit in the hot tub, you know it's going to be time well spent. It was the perfect 48 hours of chatting, shopping, eating, walking, and relaxing. A great start to a wonderful week.

Enjoying the beautiful view from our deck

Early morning stroll

Movie soulmates

And I found an outfit for easter Sunday!

Good times were had by all and made it all the sweeter to be back in the arms of my littles and my honey.

B Love

1. For buying me this honey pot.

2. For his insistence on saying, "Downtown Abbey," and putting it into conversation at least twice a day.

3. For surprising me with these:

4. For knowing all the words to the Tangled soundtrack

5. And finally...for watching one episode of Mad Men and then dressing like Don Draper all week.

Being married to Ben entails a wide variety of adjectives...but boring is not one of them.

Today

Because it's Wednesday

Because it's snowing

Because I cried over spilt milk...literally

Because there's still seventeen days until Easter

Because for all the grey there's still a lot of life-blooming

I will sing of my Redeemer,

And His wondrous love to me;

On the cruel cross He suffered,

From the curse to set me free

Sing, oh, sing of my Redeemer,

With His blood He purchased me,

On the cross He sealed my pardon,

Paid the debt, and made me free.

I will tell the wondrous story,

How my lost estate to save,

In His boundless love and mercy,

He the ransom freely gave.

I will praise my dear Redeemer,

His triumphant pow'r I'll tell,

How the victory He giveth

Over sin, and death and Hell.

I will sing of my Redeemer,

And His heav'nly love to me;

He from death to life hate brought me,

Son of God with Him to be.

Tia Time

We had another whirlwind visit from Tia last week and Ava is still bursting into tears that she's left. We always manage to make some time for fun and this visit was no exception. We didn't let snow, rain, or the nasty traveling virus get in our way.

The first day Ava got to have some special time with Tia and Grandpa and walked away with new purple fairy doll!

And after watching my first episode of Diners, Drive-In's, and Dives, which happened to be in Portland, Christy and I decided to head downtown and check out Blueplate. But first there was a snowman waiting to be built.

The restaurant was fantastic but my favorite was the house special hibiscus lemonade. Crazy weird and uniquely wonderful.

Of course we had to go roller skating at Oaks Park. Little Miss showed off her impressive skills and Ian even gave it a go for a whole 10 minutes.

Then he stalked Chipper.

And no trip to Portland would be complete without a stop at Voodoo Doughnut. It was aligned in the stars as there was no line to get in. Unheard of people!

Ava was nearly in tears trying to choose which one she wanted but I told her she couldn't go wrong with the fruit loop doughnut. She instantly embraced my logic and fell into the voodoo trance as she licked her plate clean.

We miss you Tia! Thank you for your spontaneous fun loving presence in our home, and thanks for all the photos as I was too lazy to take any of my own!

Kindergarten Round-Up

Um...I mean... look...Ava's sitting up by herself! Such a big girl.