Goin' Fishing

After almost 11 years of marriage, there are still so many "firsts" between Conrad & me.  Today he took me fishing.  It was the first time I'd ever been fishing in my life.  I got to share it with our girls.

Seeing him buy the rods & put his fishing kit together was like watching a child in a candy store.  He was so happy!  He even taught the girls how to cast out their line in the front yard. 

The best part is when we all swore Conrad had something on the end of his line.  Bronwen saw it move, then she started to reel it in.  "Dad!  You have a fish!"  Conrad said, "No, trust me, I don't, but I think I have something (you just drug up from the bottom of the lake, Bronwen)."  He was a good sport & let the child continue to reel in the line.  It was "ta-da!" a bunch of grass that he tried make look like a snake for their enjoyment!  That was all we caught LOL! :-)

A cool part is that at least we got to see how the bait drew in a lot of minnows.  Another cool part was that there were many dragonflies flying around.  There was one in particular, a blue one, that kept hovering nearby.  It seriously came by about 10-15 times we were there.  An angel, maybe?  I asked Conrad if his mom liked the color blue. 

If you have the time, take your babies fishing.  It's one of the best memories I now have.  Thank you, my love.

The Most Magical Place on Earth

One of my favorite memories is when Conrad & I took Bronwen & Ava to Disneyland three years ago.  The rides, seeing the girls' faces when they met characters, the California sun, food & then when I found out I was pregnant when we got back... it was magical.

With Cate now 2.5, Ava, 6.5, & Bronwen almost 8-years-old, we were ready to go again.  I felt like we were at the cusp of the older girls believing in the magic of Disneyland & since Cate was old enough to travel, we were ready.  The deal was sealed when we got an amazing discount offered in our email.  As soon as we knew we were going, Bronwen started the countdown.  Finally the day had come!  We had a magical time & I wanted to write down some of my favorite memories.

Two days before we left, Bronwen & Ava got out the suitcases & had all of us 80% packed.  It still impresses me how big they are getting & how responsible they are.  My beautiful little girls are invaluable.  Cate tried pulling things out of the suitcases haha!

Cate getting naked on the plane.  This girl does not like wearing clothes -unless you count her swimsuit. ;-)  Ironically, she hates getting her clothing wet.  Hmm...now I'm thinking she puts the swimsuit on because she is constantly spilling water on herself in normal clothes.  I'll have to ask her tomorrow!

Anyway, she spilled water on her shirt & pants, so she took them off.  Thank goodness we were sitting next to a wonderful mother who didn't care & thank goodness Cate had her blanket to keep her warm.

Photos in front of Mickey Mouse!  There were a bunch of people around, but we saw a space open up & told the girls to run!  Oh snap!  We got the infamous photo!  I still get so happy when I see my three girls together.

Oooh, this also reminds me of the great sunglasses & hat hunt.  Being from sunny WA, so weren't prepared haha!

Another great memory is of the girls & me trying on goofy hats while Conrad was interviewing for a position with another company.  We found some beautiful princess nightgowns, princess gloves, Mickey lollipops & left the store.  Then we got some snack bars & drinks at Jamba Juice & hung out in the Downtown Disney district.  When I got the text from Conrad that we were in the clear to go back to the room, we ran to show him our treasures.

My 33rd birthday fell on the third day of the trip & I had my favorite food in the world, Mickey's Waffles, to celebrate!  Conrad told them it was birthday, so they gave me a pin. :-)

We ate at a restaurant Storyteller's Cafe every morning.  The breakfast is to do die for & all kinds of Disney characters come out to visit with the children.  It is a must see place to eat!

Each morning after we'd fill up, we'd head out to go on the rides & for some swimming.

Speaking of rides, Cate got to go on her very first roller coaster.  Yahoo!

Loved the photo of Cate scratching her butt!  Haha!

2012 Steppin' Together Dance Recital

There's a certain look Ava gets on her face when she decides to transform herself into another character.  She gets serious, her eyes get dark & her jaw sets.  When she was dancing, I swear she just knew she was Michael Jackson in his "Beat It" video!  When she was done, she looked so satisfied.  "How'd you like those apples?" :-)

Bronwen, on the otherhand, focused on the audience.  I could imagine her envisioning how awesome she looked on the stage, in front of hundreds of people.  You could see that at that moment, she was on the show, "Dancing with the Stars," mesmerizing everyone with her brilliant moves. :-)

Both girls stole the show.  They worked very hard for about five months on their routine, coming home humming the song & sometimes showing us some of their moves.  Out of the dance genres they've had over the past 3.5 years, I think they hit their stride with hip hop.  To me this is the best type of dance to learn anyway because what are they going to do when they're older, bust out a piroutte at the club?  LOL!

If anyone lives in the Renton area, I highly recommend checking out the City of Renton's recreational programs -especially the dance classes for girls & boys.  Formal classes in the program start when children are at least 3 & go all the way up to the teenage years.  This year, their instructor was Monae Thomas, who happens to be the dance coordinator for the Seattle Storm dancers.  How cool is that?

It's not about putting your children in classes to be a world class dancer (although who knows?!).  It's about building confidence (I dance!  I can go onstage & perform!), learning teamwork (I am responsible for learning the routine so we all look good out there as a team), discipline (I need to go to class every week, so I can learn) & most of all, learning, "I can!!!!"

There are so many people who tell you you can't do things in life, & we need to tell our children that THEY CAN DO ANYTHING!!!!!  Why not?  Help your children believe in themselves.  It's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Alki Beach

My baby wanted to take us out today.  He took us to Alki Beach.  I practiced using my new 24 mm prime lens on the Seattle skyline (this is my favorite view of the Emerald City).  Then he asked us if we wanted to eat lunch.  He took us to the famous Salty's restaurant for brunch.  We scored the best view in the house.  I felt a little bit like the Griswold's when Cate decided to wipe her shrimp-cocktail-sauce covered hands on my shirt, in front of people! Ha!  Thank God my shirt was navy blue & the sauce came off rather easily!  I love my family more than life.

Woodenshoe Tulip Festival 2012

I had the opportunity to take portraits for one of my sister's close friends at the Woodenshoe Tulip Festival.  They are spectacular, go to my photography blog to check them out!

http://michelledouglasphotography.blogspot.com/

Anyway, the festival has many fun activities for children, so I brought the girls.  My sweet sister (gorgeous girl in the middle of the crowd in the bottom photo) helped me out so much while I took the portraits.  Afterward, we all got to play.  This is a must-do event if you're in the Portland area mid-April!

Portland, April 2012

I love how my girls love my family.  They admire their beautiful aunties, they love to be wherever their grandma is (& subsequently help with whatever project my mom has going on), & they cherish their traditional Shari's breakfasts with their wonderful grandpa (& playing with all the coolest aps on his phone LOL)! :-)

As I was driving back home, I was so grateful to have my girls know my family.  I always want them to know they are loved.  

Thank you, Tashi, Bianci, Mom & Dad for giving me such a great memory.  I love you guys so much.  You are the best.

Easter Sunday

The weather was amazing this Easter!

We pulled out the girls' patio table & set up their Easter egg dying station on the deck.

They had a great time decorating their eggs. Their favorite thing was using the wax crayons to decorate the egg, then dying it to reveal their creation.

Next the girls pulled out the hose & washed off our boots that were covered with mud from our Daffodil Festival trip. Cate got so wet & since it was warm outside I let her strip down to her undies. It was perfect because then she proceeded to catch bubbles.

We had our little neighborhood Easter egg hunt at 3:00, & a turkey dinner at 4:30.

Cheers!