The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.

-Marcel Proust

I have this quote in a frame in my office, just wanted to share.

On a sunny Monday...

we played in the rocks and dirt...

We gave mama lots of rocks for her to hold

We made wishes...

We blew bubbles...

We made soup...Peyton's is made with rocks, weeds and dandelions...
and mine is taco soup.

What did you do on this beautiful sunny Monday?

Funny Sayings...

All kids say funny things, whether they mean to or not. Here is one I have been meaning to post just because it made me laugh a lot. One day Peyton was trying to describe which park she wanted me to take her to. I asked what kind of ground it had. Was it wood chips or bouncy material? She replied..."No...you know...it's the one with all the barf". After some more talking, I figured out she meant bark. But eewww wouldn't that be gross!

Speaking of parks...today was so nice. I forgot to check the temperature, but I think summer came today and that is it. No we didn't go to the park, but the kids played outside in the sprinkler and the bird bath(is that bad??? It was pretty clean and Macy just loves to splash in it). I did not get a bunch of housework done, but who can with the sun calling my name? I also got to go for a run with shorts and tanktop on! Yay, no pants, long sleeve, gloves, etc... way more fun without all the extra gear.

Easter Weekend...

....was a blast! Started out with Friday evening. Thanks to Becky babysitting for us, Jon and I went to a Good Friday service at a church in Silverdale then headed on to an "after party" to hang out with some new friends from a leadership training class we have been taking. It was fun, but late night, getting home at 11-something(you know you're getting old when 11ish feels late).

Saturday morning I was supposed to get up at 5:30am to meet Lacy for our 14 mile training run. Oops, I somehow awoke at 7:30 and realized my clock was set for PM. Poor Lacy had been up since 4am waiting for me. (Sorry again!) We had to squeeze our run into the crazy afternoon. Saturday late morning we went to a baptism service at the Olympic HS pool. 34 people were baptized into Christ. It was great to let our kids experience this. One girl baptized her dad...it was touching. After our run which took FOREVER (keep in mind, we run a 12 minute pace...not fast, but steady) I rushed off to Easter celebration with Jon's side of the family. We did Easter egg coloring, a hunt and some games.

Sunday morning we went to church then off to my grandma's in Tahuya where we had the YUMMIEST waffles, sausage, fruit, eggs, etc... came home, then off to evening church.

To say the least I was exhausted Monday morning, sore from my Saturday run, from the weekend festivities and left with a huge mess to clean up. But it was all worth it.

Remembering the sacrifice Jesus made for us all and celebrating his resurrection was really meaningful this Easter. Something we need to remember and live out everyday.

Here are some photos...

Macy was excited about the graduate cereal bars the Easter bunny hid outside...The cousins, from left to right, Easton, Afton, Peyton, Wyatt(held by Aunt Becky, Michal and Macy

Baby Wyatt is 3 months oldOh look, I found a cinamon roll! Oh, nevermind...just a rock.Easton and Macy were in my grandma's bathroom looking at the 2 land turtles that have lived in my grandma's bathtub filled with water for the past 18 years. (Don't ask)OOOH Peeps!

Pet Peeves...

Today I am a bit cranky, the sun went away and the rain is back. I have lived in Washington all my life and still am not used to being cold and wet. So in honor of my mood I need to get out a few pet peeves of the day...

1. I hate annoying woodpeckers who obsessively peck on the metal gutters and wake up little children way too early in the morning.

2. I hate when it is 11pm on a Wednesday night and we realize that the next day is trash and recycle day and we forgot to haul it all the way to the very end of the driveway. So we miss it 2 weeks in a row and yucky smelly garbage piles up.

3. I get annoyed when I am trying to enter a blog post and my kids come in every 2 seconds to tell me about something on TV.

4. I am tired of Macy digging through the pantry and dumping all the boxes of food on the floor and bringing me granola bars all day wanting me to open them. Then later finding them in a corner stuck to the carpet...uneaten of course.

5. I am frustrated with the dentist who told me the kids dental work would be covered only to get a bill for $250 more than expected and it is NO fault of theirs because I should have verified with the insurance company instead of taking their word for it.

6. Did I mention it is hard to concentrate when my kids keep coming in every 2 seconds???

7. I am annoyed that Jon had an extensive blood test that came back inconclusive(because the lab workers did not know what they were doing) and they still charged the full $3,800 (of which we owe $150). Doctors and hospitals can charge whatever they want, mess up and still get paid. If I mess up in my job, I don't get paid or I have to redo it.

Well the kids are back in the office so I give up on writing. I hope that by venting into the computer I will have a better mood to face the day. After all I do have so much to be thankful for. Hope your day goes well in spite of unfair medical bills and granola bars stuck to the carpet too.

Family Fun Day

All day Peyton has referred to yesterday as "Family Fun Day". Apparently it was a hit. We are always looking for new fun (inexpensive) things to do here in Kitsap county and at times, we're at a loss. However we heard about this park in Bremerton by the Ferry. It is between the Ferry terminal and the shipyard, very hidden from plain site. It has fountains that kids can play in when the weather is warm and rocks and things to climb on. We hopped on the little foot ferry in downtown Port Orchard ($2 per person, kids under age 6 are free), went across and had a picnic lunch at the park and just had a nice time, except for Macy being afraid of the fountains that "blow" like a whale spout every few minutes. After that we rode the foot ferry back and headed to the swimming pool for the kids to swim. It was an inexpensive way to get out and do something as a family. All in all we spent less than $20 (ferries plus swimming) for a fun evening out. I recommend it. Here are a couple pictures taken from my camera phone...sorry bad quality.Those big things behind the kids are where the water shoots out from. I tried to capture it, but my timing was off. Will be lots of fun in the summer when we can actually get wet!

Spring break was sure fun, kids had sleepovers and just a plain old relaxing time without homework and tight schedules. I am a bit sad that it is ending, but ready to get back in a routine.

One last picture before I go...we saw Monsters vs. Aliens movie last week in 3D at the NEW Uptown Gig Harbor Theater (stadium seating makes every seat a good one, plus they have 3D and Port Orchard cinema does not), It was a great movie, even Macy wore the glasses for a good while.