The Bouncy Place

Jadyn got to go on a field trip with her school to The Bouncy Place in Kent. It was a great way to get all of our energy out before lunch. And even better...Karina was able to go, too! We all had a lot of fun braving the huge, very fast slides. It is nice to know that we have a fairly close by place to go on all of those rainy days we have so often.Here is Jadyn with a couple of her good friends, Lauren and Alyson, getting ready to go down together. Karina giving this snail some extra love.

Finally!

Karina's hair is long enough to put in one little braid...and she will actually let us! Good times!

Fun, fun, fun!

We went (and survived) our first birthday party at Chuck E Cheese's last night. Despite the fact that the place was packed to capacity, (they were actually turning people away at the door) the girls had a blast dancing and playing all of the "free" games. They even got to take home princess cups, which I am sure we will be using at every meal until they wear out.The best highlight for me happened on the way home, though, when my sweet Jadyn decided: "It was lots of fun to play at Chuck E Cheese's, but I don't want my birthday there. I like to be at home and play with my friends better. I can hear things there."

Most of the party clan: Jordan, Jadyn, Isabella,

Karina, Haley, and a random girl that really wanted to join us

Thank you for inviting us to your fun party, Haley. Happy 4th birthday!

Mmmm...mmmm...good!

The girls had their official first lesson on how to make Grandpa's Spaghetti Sauce. They were so excited to help Daddy make it. They only had a hard time when it came to waiting the entire day to get to try it out. But, boy is it worth the wait! Check out Foree Family Photos for more pictures...

Caught!

We now know the real reason we can't seem to grow anything but sticks in our backyard...

This little one is awfully cute for a landscape-destroyer, though.

Home again...

I touched down back to rainy Seattle last night from the beautiful snow covered mountains of Montana. It was a great week, and I am so thankful for the chance to have gotten to go for so long. Mark did an amazing job with the girls....I have been hearing about it nonstop all day since we first woke up this morning. I have even been called Daddy least a dozen times. My favorite stories so far involve the step by step process of how Daddy does hair differently then me and how much/often our sweet Molly Twinkles disrupted everything on purpose. It sounds like I missed out on a lot of fun!

My Mom is doing much better this week than last. Thank you to all who have been so concerned. Recovery from back surgery is slow, but hopefully, will keep progressing on schedule, so she continues to see improvements everyday. I now leave her in the hands of her husband, Ed, and her amazing best friend, Naureen.

I have to take just a minute to introduce you to my Mom's best friend. Sometimes, you get a chance to meet someone who just does it right- Naureen is definitely one of them. I know that she would probably never want anyone to know all that she does, but I couldn't help myself. When you meet someone like this, they leave such a footprint on you, you have to talk about them. This woman somehow keeps track of her family (husband, 5 kids, 5 cats), 3 Girl Scout troops, 1 Boy Scout troop, and all of the friends and family that go along with all of those, plus manages to be there for my Mom in ways that only a super hero could pull off. Her family was so much fun to be around. Their love for each other is so genuine and contagious. I am very thankful that my Mom has such a good friend close by to be there for her and encourage her.

Naureen, thank you so much for all of the love and laughter you share so easily. I just wish you lived closer to Washington. (hint...hint...hint...)

A Valentine's Day Look Back...

Happy Valentine's Day, Mommy! We miss you!

The girls have had a week full of Daddy-time these last 7 days. Julie flew the coop to spend the week with her mom who just had surgery.

We went to the park today (our first break from the rain in who-can-remember-how-long) and had a picnic lunch and played until we were all worn out and ready for our naps.

The girls were they're regular adorable selves.

I was looking through the pictures I took, and noticed that if you look closely at this one... is that Karina giving Jadyn a boost?

Karina and Jadyn both conquered the "big slide" - a steep, fast moving one that has kept them at bay for some time now. It was a proud moment!

They had a great time! Lord - please send more of that beautiful sunshine our way!

Priceless Momemts...

Tonight, as I was tucking Jadyn in to bed, we were talking about how she has a hard time falling asleep sometimes. As we talked about the reasons why, she suddenly became overcome with a case of the giggles at something I said.

She knew Karina had already been tucked in, so she tried hard to hold her hands over her mouth to keep the sound of her uncontrollable giggling down to a minimun, but it was still a futile effort.

As I watched her giggle so purely and joyfully, and then try so hard to cover it up, the inevitable happened and I began to giggle, too. I asked her what was making her laugh, but she couldn't even stop long enough to tell me. This giggle was such a cute, perfect, infectious little girl giggle - the kind you see in movies or read about in books that always makes you smile.

It took us the good part of 10 minutes to get our giggles under control, and after she was settled back down again, she cocked her head ever so slightly on her pillow and looked at me with the most adoring eyes and subtle smile. It was the highlight of my day (and possibly hers, too).

These are the moments you treasure forever in your heart as a parent.

Only our Karina....

I honestly would never even have thought of trying to eat Cheetos with a fork and spoon. Leave it to our amazing little one to find a way to stay completely clean!

Heard around our house...

Jadyn: "My teacher says that in Heaven we won't be sleepy at all. I can't wait to get there!"
Julie: "Why are you so excited about that part of Heaven?"
Jadyn: "I will never have to take a nap there. I really don't like napping, even if you think my body needs to take one. I can't wait...forever with no naps and no grumpiness. God sure does know how to make things perfect for us."






Karina: "I have pickles on my skin just like you, Mommy! God gave us both pickles!" Julie: "Close...we do both have them, but we call them freckles usually, instead of pickles."

Mardi Gras Fun

Yesterday, we got a wonderful package in the mail from our good friends in New Orleans. Their boys were so sweet to think of spreading the Mardi Gras parade cheer to us by sharing a bunch of their beads and even a couple of sparkly wands. The girls have been absolutely loving them and have even been hosting their own parades around our house. Thank you so much to Andrew, Nicholas, Logan and Jordan for letting us share in your fun! We miss you!

Hip Hip....Horray!!

We have just started a new sport around our house: cheerleading! Jadyn is now a member (for the next 6 weeks anyway) of the Liberty Bell Spirit Squad in Maple Valley. She is loving it already! Of course, if Jadyn does something or learns something new, Karina is sure to do it, too. It is so cute to see them "practice" together. We also just found out that Jadyn will get to be in the Seattle St. Patricks Day Parade at the end of the class. I am sure that it will be great video to look forward to.