Happy 3rd Birthday Olivia

Believe it or not (I hardly can) Olivia is THREE years old. She is growing up so fast and is a delightful little girl. We celebrated with some princess cupcakes. It was hilarious to watch her face as we all sang happy birthday to her. She has been singing “happy birthday to me” for the past few days, which is sweet to hear as she plays. She is our chill, happy, sweet little girl and we love her so much. :)

List

I am a collector and creator of lists. I found this one as I was trying to clean out some of the clutter on my computer..

This makes me happy:

A leisurely day with my little family
Feeling healthy and skinny
Being pampered
Making good decisions
Getting things accomplished
A fun night out with Nate
A vacation with Nate and our little family
Saving money and being thrifty
Buying the right thing at a great price
Getting rid of old stuff
Being outdoors
A hot shower
Things that look beautifully designed
Family naps
A clean house
Feeling like I am wearing flattering clothing
Getting enough sleep

First Tooth

Jonah’s first tooth has appeared. Isn’t it adorable? We try to make him smile all day long, just so we can get a sneak peak at it. And yes, those cheeks are just as soft and yummy and kissable as they appear to be. :)

Basketball

How cute is this little team? :)

Washington DC and Richmond

We decided to get out for a few days and take a road trip to visit a few friends. We headed up to DC to visit the Bywaters, and then to Richmond to visit the Thompsons. We had a great time. The drive was about 12 hours and the kids did as well as can be expected under the circumstances. We met the beautiful new addition to the Bywater family, baby #4, Isabel. She’s perfect. :)
We spent a few cold days out and about in DC. We rode the metro into the city and took the kids to the Building Museum where we played with giant legos and ran up and down stairs and had a great time. We also experienced guacamole nirvana at Rosa Mexicana. I am still dreaming of one day having a guacamole cart in my house... Another day the Bywater’s pulled out the go-kart for the kids to try, which was hilarious. I want to buy a go-kart now. :) Owen had a Star Wars loving buddy and we watched a few of the prequils and they played lego star wars to their hearts content.
We tried ice skating. Olivia lasted about 10 seconds on the ice and was DONE. Owen LOVED it and Nate and I had a great time too. We are not a graceful family and putting us on ice is a bit risky, but we managed and it was really fun and  made us laugh. We took the kids to an Airplane museum where they all dressed up like little pilots and rode on toy planes.
Chantal and the girls came up for a sleepover and the house was so full of kids and friends. It was so much fun and I miss them all already.
In Richmond we visited with the Stuki’s and saw their cute house and then stayed at the Thompson’s. Chantal and the girls took us to a great BBQ place for lunch called Buz and Ned’s. It was delicious! I bought a bottle of BBQ sauce and am excited to try it out this weekend.
We did manage to wipe out three of us with a stomach bug, but we are all feeling better now. Owen and I were sick on the way home and he only threw up once in the car (in a bowl) and then not again until we walked into our house where he ran for the bathroom and made it...tender mercies...
All in all it was a busy, fun trip and I miss you guys already. :)