Friends and the Zoo

It was a girls day at the zoo!  Calla, Hannah and I met up with good friends Joy and Airlie for a day at the zoo.  We had a great time looking at the animals and the kids had a blast together! Next summer it will no longer be a girls outing as joy will be adding a little boy to her family in the Fall.  I guess we will let him join us:)

Hannah watching the Zebra.

 Joy and beautiful Airlie!  

 Watching more animals.  It was almost impossible to catch them all looking at us at the same time.  Maybe Joy caught a good photo.

Calla loves to play in this jeep that looks out on the cheeta habitat.  I am not sure if she even sees the animals sometime.  She had a great time driving all of the girls in the jeep.

 Lunch was a blast.  We hung out at the grassy area near the stage, after eating their lunches, including Calla trying to feed Airlie raspberries, and then Hannah trying to claim them all for herself.  After some food they were all full of energy and chased each around.

It was a great trip.  At the end Hannah was trying to "help" Airlie drink some water.  They were both laughing the whole time. 

We are all so lucky to have good friends in our lives.  Everyday I hear about people getting sick, losing their jobs and struggling.  I feel so lucky to have a great husband, wonderful, healthy girls, and very special friends.

Biking

I finally got some good pictures of Calla on her new bike today.  We went down to Willamette Park after dinner and she road down the path while the rest of us walked.  It was a great way to end a great weekend!

Summer has FINALLY Arrived!

This weekend was BEAUTIFUL and we had a wonderful time hanging out as a family.  We decided to get our strawberries in the ground today and Calla and Hannah we very excited and ready to work.  It was a great way to celebrate Earth Day!  We taught our kids about planting something in the ground that will give us food in the future.  We worked together to make out little spot of Earth a little better.   

Hannah used the wagon to carry some of the strawberries.

Calla brought her strawberries in the wheelbarrow she received from Grandma Cindy and Papa Rex for her birthday.  Hannah was excited to help unload!

Then Calla, Dad, and Hannah got to planting.  We planted 8 total and are excited to enjoy the fruits of our labor toward the end of summer.  The only fruit we have left to get in the ground is some raspberries, maybe next weekend!

Mom, with help from Hannah, brought in the sawdust to put on top of the plants.  

After all of the hard work it was time for FUN!  Because it was in the mid-80's today we broke out the Misters.  The girls had a great time getting wet and running around the yard together.  They were all smiles.  

The Moments

I recently heard that no one listens to anyone for more than 30 seconds.  We are always either interrupting or planning our next comment before the person we are listening to is done.  So I have decided to try and listen longer and be in the moment, especially with Calla and Hannah.  Here are a few moments from the last few weekends.  They are playing together so well right.  They make me laugh, they make each other laugh and when we are all in the moment we are have a blast!

Here they are dancing together before Calla's party.  Hannah loves to do everything Calla does, and since Calla loves to dance, so does Hannah!

While I was making dinner on Friday Scott, Calla, and Hannah played in the playroom.  Hannah has started to love posing for pictures and smiles at "cheese" every time.  I captured this moment because I love my beautiful family!

Friday after work the girls and I headed outside to the play structure.  Hannah has started to love the swing. Of course again, she learned this move from big sister.  While swinging on her belly, she started going faster, and yelled "WEEE".  It was so cute, she looked up at me and smiled, and I was in the moment, enjoying a Friday afternoon with my family!

Saturday morning, time to relax!

Happy Birthday Sweet Calla!

I can't help but start wishing Calla a Happy Birthday by sharing a picture of they day she was born. Scott and I will never forget how she entered the world. The impact she has made on our life has been immeasurable, I am so thankful for every experience she has brought us and all of the experiences yet to come!

Skipping ahead 4 years we have a 4 year old! The morning before the birthday party we gave Calla her birthday present, a big girl bike! She was a little slow at first but by the end of the weekend Scott and I needed our running shoes on to keep up with her. She has two speeds, very fast, and stopped. Seeing the smile on her face lights up my world.

The afternoon came and we celebrated with 6 4 year olds, their parents and siblings. We were lucky enough to have a beautiful day and we got to spend the entire day outside. Calla was so excited!

We had chocolate cup cakes with raspberries, candy, and lots of smiles.

The kids had a great time climbing and swinging on the play structure!

Calla got lots of puzzles and some coloring pages from her friends.

Calla is so sweet. She gave huge hugs to Scott and I towards the end of the party, thanking us for such a great birthday.

We even had a pinata.

We had balloons, dancing, Duck-Duck-Goose, and lots of smiles!

YUM!

Our Little Adventurer

These pictures may make Hannah look like a sweet little girl, but she is an adventurer. We had some wonderful and much needed sunshine this weekend and I captured these pictures of Hannah playing in the yard. She loves to be outside and after today's adventurer I will have to keep my eyes on her. She managed to climb, by herself, to the top of the play structure. Scott and I were working in the yard and Calla was at the top and Hannah was playing in the grass. Suddenly Calla screams for Mom and Dad and Scott and I turn around to find Hannah on the top rung of the ladder. WOW! We worked with her a few more times to make sure she knew what she was doing we are also making her take the slide down, I am not ready for her to try and go down the slide.

Visting Friends

My great friend Leslie and her son Devin came for a weekend visit from Olympia. Devin (6 3/4) and Calla had a good time. Devin read to Calla and showed her his video game, she was entranced.

Calla showed Devin her play structure. They swung, hung on the bars, climbed, and enjoyed the slide. Calla loved having a big kid to share the play structure with.

We also went for a short hike and to the OSU Sheep farm to see the baby sheep. The weather was great and we all enjoyed the little bit of sunshine.