HYC Birthday Bash

For my birthday, we hosted a theme party at the "Huckleberry Yacht Club." Jeff & Viola went all out.

The best picture Lisa & I have taken in awhile. Can you tell she's from Connecticut.

Even Charlotte got all dressed up.
We took some hilarious family portraits.
Ladies....
And gentlemen....

Easter - Part 2

The best Easter present of all was the arrival of Nana - back from three months on the California desert - and bearing gifts no less.
These are whimsical garden ants. Edison especially liked the "Lizards for Lunch" book she brought home.
We hosted my family for a giant celebration (Easter/ my birthday / and Kathie & Floyd's 35th Anniversary). We hit a new record temp of 70 degrees, so one can easily say it was the best birthday I've ever had. Dancing with Auntie Kathie.
Cuddling with Nana.
The ladies...
the gentlemen...
and the Phillips Family.
There are not many things cuter than a little girl in her Easter dress.

Easter - Part 1

We went to our first Mill Creek Easter Egg Hunt at Heron Park this year. Charlotte was a bit wary of the bunny and Edison stayed as far away as possible.
To convince Charlotte to pick up eggs, I had to sing the "Everybody Clean Up" song. At that point, she realized she was supposed to put them into her basket.
We met Grace & Amy there for some extra fun.
We have been fortunate to have had decent weather this weekend. The kids' new favorite past time is taking their cars out for a spin.

We went out on the town to celebrate my birthday. My dad did a great job of watching Edison & Charlotte Saturday night - even enlisting a wrench to rescue Edison's knee from an awkward stuck position in his bed railing.
This lovely Easter Basket was given by our fabulous neighbor Marlene.
Edison enjoys being daddy's helper. The two of them finished this gate so that we can keep our boat at Marlene's house - proving again why she is such a great neighbor!

Spring Play Dates

Charlotte loves time with daddy! Thank goodness Eben roughhouses with the kids - that is definitely his specialty, not mine. They love it.
We spent a wonderful morning with Colin & Pierce. Funny how Pierce & Charlotte have the same hair.
Edison takes his role as big brother - protector - quite seriously.

On Friday we had a playdate with Charlotte's best friend, Grace. They had a blast. Charlotte likes to watch the pictures now and says "Gracie!" for each one.
We took a leisurely stroll to Cherry Park.
The kids were watching a truck on the golf course.

Chasing the Sun

Last Sunday we rode the ferry to Whidbey Island, chasing the sun. The kids had fun exploring the boat. I walked on with the jogging stroller which ended up working out pretty well. We spent a few hours on Whidbey, including a hike up the steep hill to get lunch at the Dairy Queen, before heading home for naps.
There is a new park at the ferry landing on the Whidbey side. It is complete with giant sandpile and lots of wayward toys. I settled in to one of the patio chairs and soaked up the rays while the kids played.
Sometimes is just fun to run and run after being indoors all winter.
With the mommy & baby otter statue.
Charlotte surveys the ride home on the ferry.
Showing off the penguin slippers before they get too small.

APRIL - Kids in the Kitchen

Charlotte has been growing quickly. We just moved her up into size 2T so she is getting to wear a whole new set of clothes. Eben spent a lot of time talking up the panda on these PJs so that Charlotte would wear them and fall asleep soundly last week while I was away at a work conference. Now they are her favorites.It has been raining non-stop here. To combat the "blahs" we've made some extra fun inside - including the first pizza made by the kids. They loved it and it actually tasted pretty good!
The finished product - they are so proud!
Their new make believe game is Airplanes. At school, they learned a song about airplanes (to the tune of I'm a Little Tea Pot) and they love racing around like airplanes.
Edison wore his St. Patrick's hat one last time....