Spring Break Fun...

Spring Break... oh how it seems so long ago that I had a "spring break", that I sort of forgot that it existed... until this past week. Jack and Maggie, of course, are too young to "participate" in spring break... ie. they don't go to school (yet...)... so spring break doesn't really mean much around our house (again... yet...). Our week was just going to be a normal week for us... (wait... is it ever "normal"??? hmmm... I don't think so... but, nonetheless...).

Brian was working all week, and J, M and I were still going through our regular weekly routine. BUT on Monday, we were so happy to hear that some of our family and friends were indeed "on" spring break. This was so fun, because we got to spend extra time with them, when usually they would be in school and/or working.  

So... YAY for Spring Break!!!

now if it would only begin to feel like spring... 

(Jack's gotten REALLY REALLY good at the "rain rain go away" song... :p)

 This print reminds me of spring... 

can you tell I'm having a serious case of spring fever???

  
We first got a wonderful visit from MY two little cousins, Charis (age 7) and Caleb (age 4). They were visiting my Grandmother (also their Grandma) for a couple of days while they were on their spring break. Funny that they are MY 1st cousins and yet, Caleb and Jackson are only a bit over a year apart (with Caleb being the older of the two). My Uncle Jerry (my mother's brother, grandmother's son) and Heather have the two cherubs. They live in Milwaukie (Oregon), and with their Mama's busy work schedule, and their own busy school schedules, we don't get to see them as often as we'd like. So, enjoying a few hours on Monday afternoon with them, was GREAT!!! Jack and Caleb were in pure cousin (and later... Jack informed me that they were "best friends forever") heaven! 

 It was incredibly sweet... they hugged forever. And, they sat in the rocking chair together, shared a snack... but mostly, they had the BEST time playing, playing, playing together!!!

Charis also seemed to have a good time, and she absolutely adores Maggie. She was so patient and sweet with Maggie. 

 Is she not the cutest? 

She is so gorgeous... and equally fun and sweet!

It was also so great to have a nice visit with Grandma too! 

Nana Bette and her cuddlebug Maggie.

Maggie woke up from nap after they got here... 

and really enjoyed snuggling and cuddling with her Nana. 

So sweet!

xoxo

We did really miss seeing Heather, and hope that next time, we can all get together. But, we are so happy we got to see Charis and Caleb... and Jack hasn't stopped talking about "his cousins" since... so we'll definitely have to plan something soon so they can all play again! 
ps. They have a super fun pool at their house... so we have BIG plans of spending some hot days at their house this summer... ;) Hoping Heather is ok with that... :p

Not only did we have fun with Charis and Caleb... we also had a LOT of fun with my great friend, Jen and her two sweeties, Ava and Olivia. Jen and I have been friends since Junior High School... so over 17 years... WOW, that makes me feel old! We have always kept in touch, but haven't had the opportunity to get together for way too long. It had been 2+ years since we had seen eachother. She had never met Maggie, and I had never met her sweet little Olivia (who turned 1 at the end of February). So, needless to say, the kids were excited... but, I was OVER excited!!! 

They were so sweet to make the trip down (they live in The Dalles) to our house for the day, and we couldn't have asked for a better or more fun time! 

Jen and I had so much fun chatting and catching up. And, the kiddos LOVED playing together. Especially Jackson and Ava. Ava turned 4 in December, so she is 11 months older than Jack. They were the BEST playmates!!! I kept telling Jen, I wished we lived closer to eachother, as Ava could come over and entertain Jack all day long! 

Yes, they are both sitting in a kid's chair together. Ava was sitting there ... and Jack just scooched her over to make room for himself :)

And, this was really the only time they sat still long enough for me to get any pictures... 

as you can see they were still having fun being super silly!

Maggie also loved playing... she seemed to prefer playing with the "big kiddos"... but, she did think Olivia was pretty fun and cute too!!!

Two cute girls having some yummy lunch!

 

 Sweet Maggie loving some pizza!

  Cutie Olivia enjoying lunch too!

Thanks Again, Jen, Ava and Olivia for coming to visit us! We absolutely LOVED having you ... and promise to NEVER go so long without a visit!!! xoxo

Maggie had some serious business to take care of after they left... ;)

We hope you all had a great week and enjoy your weekend ahead!

Catching up... our week...

Catching up... last week...

We had a fairly low key week. Jackson had a sore throat starting on Tuesday, and he is just now really feeling back to himself! Thank Goodness... it's so hard when Jack or Maggie are sick. I feel so awful for them, and just want them to feel better and SOON!!!

 Poor Sick Boy! 

So glad he is feeling so much better!!!

Needless to say, we were very happy when he began to act like his silly self again, and incredibly thankful that no one else in the house got it. We hope and pray that it doesn't sneak up on anyone else!

 Can you tell he's feeling MUCH better??? 

For some reason, Mommy & Daddy's room - 

mainly our bed, has become a super fun play spot for Jack and Maggs!!!

 ... and it usually always involves a lot of bouncing, pillows being flung, and hysterically laughing.

Hard to say "No!" to that!

 

Miss Maggs coming to see what is going on!!! 

Must look fun!

The sweetest smile!

Cutie Maggie last Saturday out to lunch with Mommy, Daddy and Jackson!

 ... and the next day

 BREAKFAST TIME!!!

Maggie loves breakfast... such a happy girl!

 Jackson also loves breakfast... and showing off all of his "faces"...

above is "scary" Jackson...

 "scared" Jackson

 "happy" Jackson

 and super "silly" Jackson

ps. "Happy" and "Silly" Jackson are my two favorites, but sometimes "scary" or "surprised" Jackson faces cannot stop me from laughing hysterically... which gets J laughing too!!! Such a funny guy we have!!!

We did wear our Green on St. Patrick's Day... but, other than that, we didn't celebrate much. St. Patty's Day is the one holiday that I am just not that in to. I did have fun looking back on these photos...

Jackson's 1st St. Patrick's Day, 2008 - he was ALMOST 4 months old!!!

What a cutie!!! Remember that hair? :p

Maggie's 1st St. Patrick's Day, 2010 - She was a little OVER 8 months old!!!

What a SWEETIE!!! 

note: yes, they are wearing the SAME outfit. so, yes... Jack wore it at almost 4 months old, and Maggie was able to fit into it when she was over 8 months old!!! HA! Definitely shows what a big strong boy we have, and a sweet little petite girl!!!

Maggie and I had some fun while sick Jack :( was resting... this included Maggie wearing Jack's hat forever, refusing to take it off, and when she did... she was.not.happy.

She also had a lot of fun playing with all of her Big Brother's toys...

shhh... don't tell Jack. :)

So, St. Patty's Day has passed, and now I have officially started decorating for Easter! 

So.Much.Fun!!!

Jack and Maggie have been great little helpers, and I'll be sure to capture some photos once we are all finished with the Easter Decor! :)

This is one idea for an Easter card from Miss Maggs... I've also made one from Jackson, but can't seem to find it (argh!!!) - 

but... think I'll pass on these ones...

...as we are getting the kiddos photos taken by the fabulous Marie Pham (mariephamphotography.com) in one of her amazing Easter "mini sessions"... and although they will be a surprise for you all to see... I'll share a fun little hint... there will be baby bunnies involved (and no, I'm not talking about my munchkins, actually real live bunnies!!!)!!!! Can you tell I'm uber excited???? :p

Maggie had an appointment this past week with the Pediatric Orthopedist. Dr. Montgomery was incredibly pleased with Maggie's HUGE progress from when she had seen her about 4 months ago! Maggie was sure to show off for Dr. Montgomery... showing her how fast she could run, how she can stand on her tippy toes and try and jump! So, we won't have to see Dr. Montgomery for a while... not until Maggie is ready for a new pair of "cricuts" (her insoles)... which will probably be a while! We are so excited to have Maggie just charging forward (literally) and needing less and less help (as in Doctors, etc.) when it comes to her walking! She is definitely a walking girl... and nothing is stopping her now!!!

Maggie "visiting" Dr. Montgomery... and having a lot of fun with the "twirly" chair :)

Last Sunday (a week ago) we were so happy to have Brian's Aunt and Uncle over for dinner. They are in the process of moving from Southern California to Vancouver, WA!!! We could not be more thrilled to have them close by! And, not only are they coming, but they are also moving Brian's Grandparents up to Vancouver, as well. Brian's Grandmother and Grandfather will be living in an Assisted Living Facility in Vancouver - and Uncle Bruce and Aunt Karin will be purchasing a home close by. They have put in an offer for a home, and we are all keeping our fingers crossed that they hear good news soon!

We had a wonderful time catching up and visiting with them both. Jack and Maggie LOVED having them... and of course, entertained them and showed them all of their "tricks"!!!

Maggie riding "Bronco"... 

she loves riding him... and sometimes will play and sit on him for like 30 minutes!!!

Jack enjoying some yummy ice cream and pie after dinner!!!

 Ummm... can you say "crazy girl"???

Maggie looking hysterical with Jack's "safety goggles" on while using power tools! :p

We hope you all have a wonderful end of your weekend! And, a great start to the week!

All our Love,

Brian, Brooke, Jackson and Maggie

xoxo

Catching up... a little crafting...

As most of you know, I like to craft, ok, I LOVE to craft. I really really really LOVE it. Not only is it a fun hobby that I enjoy, it is a complete stress reliever for me, to get creative, and be in the present on what I am working on.

I am learning all sorts of new ways in which to fulfill this fun hobby, without breaking the bank. As, if any of you are crafters of any sort, you know that it is NOT a cheap hobby!

So, this is one of my simple crafts that I did a bit over 2 weeks ago. It was fun, it was quick, and best of all it was CHEAP. I had all of the supplies, besides the letter "W", which I had purchased a while ago (for $2.99!), but had not gotten to deciding what I wanted to do with it.... paint, decoupage with paper, cover in fabric, ribbon??? I decided upon fabric that I had leftover from a separate project, added some ribbon that was also leftover, along with some buttons that were hanging around my many craft boxes... and viola a much cuter "W".

This, again, was so EASY!!!!

Started out as a plain cardboard "W" letter purchased from Craft Warehouse for a whopping $2.99

 Fabric that I had on hand, but not a lot... so it had to be used in a fair small project.

This fit perfectly.

 Laid the "W" onto the fabric...

 My "go to" easy peasy craft glue... to glue the fabric onto the "W"

 ... and TA DA... a much more eye appealing "W"

I added some ribbon (that I already had, but not much, as well as a few buttons to add a little "pizzaz")... and it came out looking like this!

I really like it...

Now... where shall it go?

Oveall, a super fun, quick craft for a "W" that had been waiting to be decorated for far too long!

If you make a "letter", I would LOVE to see your end result!

So, don't forget to share!

xoxo