Perfect weekend!

We had a fantastic weekend!

We started Friday with meeting the newest member of my friend Kara's family, little Brady. The kids had fun playing outside in the warm sunshine & eating lunch over at Tricia's. Hudson's newest thing is to cry when he has to leave people. So he started to cry when we left Tricia's. He really does this with his grandma/grandpa & nana/papa. Turns on the waterworks hoping it will buy him a few more precious minutes.
Friday evening we had a surprise 40th birthday party for my friend Candi. It seems not so long ago we were celebrating her 30th. How time flies. It was a fun night with lots of great people. Lots of Candi's friends, neighbors, & work counterparts came to wish her a happy b-day. She is such a good friend to so many people & I am lucky enough to be one of them. Happy Birthday lady!

Saturday we played outside & did yard work then had our friends Kristie & Robbie over for dinner. They were in town for Bloomsday with baby Delaney. It was a perfect night for a bbq & we ate well before the race the next morning.

Sunday I woke up to sunny, blue skies. Yes!! This is more important the older I seem to get. I am finding I am really a fair weather kind of person. So the more sunny days the better. Anyways I ran Bloomsday (which a local Spokane race 7.5 miles or something). I have done it on and off since we moved here in 1985. I vary from walking, walk/run, to running. This year I fell into the running category. I ran with my friend from my old job Michele Crowley. It was so nice to have someone to run with. We talked for about the first 2 miles, then there wasn't much else said besides: "dying, water,and are you kidding me (when we would see the hills ahead)". Anywho, we finished & did well considering not much training led up to this annual event. This was the best Bloomsday thus far for me, because as I rounded the turn for the finish line. Stephan, Hudson & Ravenna were there to cheer me on. What a great feeling to see them. Grandpa also came down for the festivities. So after I finished we had a wonderful day in Riverfront Park, playing, riding the gondola, having a few beers at O'Doherty's, seeing friends, people watching (this is one of my favorite things) & then enjoyed some great Mexican food. The past 5 years or so we go to Casa de Oro & have a little Mexican food with Kristie, Robbie, Jenni, Molly & now the kids.
It was a perfect weekend.

Donald Trump or Ravenna?

Check out the first 2 pictures....I couldn't resist the resemblance. Ravenna's hair is looking more like "The Donald" than her usual tamed, controlled, piggy tailed doo. There is nothing wrong with the wispy, thin, comb over on a 2 year old is there?

A couple other photos of the kids in our bed (wearing their cousins Caden's pj's, they loved them). Also some time out at nana & papa's, checking out their new puppy "Lucky".

We feel so lucky each day to have these 2 little ones. It has almost been 2 months since we have had Hudson, having him home has really brought out Ravenna's personality.

They are so funny together!

Papa's signature bear hug. You are missing out if you have never had one.

Nana's new puppy "Lucky"

Cabo San Lucas

Our last night in Mexico
Saying "good night" to the ocean & the iguanas
Playing with daddy in the pool

Silly little monkeys

Loving "Mei Mei"

Heading for the waves

A little time in the sand with daddy
Playing it cool in their shades....they didn't stay on for long

A little time in the shade

Holding on to Hudson

Hudson & daddy

Notice the shirt, cause I got a little too brave with my white body the day before

A family picture with grandma & grandpa before heading into town for dinner

Ravenna Kelly Mei

With grandma at the beach...a little preoccupied by the waves

Worn out!

Playing with daddy in the waves

Hudson & grandpa

Ravenna & Hudson both loved jumping into the pool

" BIIIIIG Shovel" as Hudson would say

We look so cool in our goggles.....those lasted about as long as the sunglasses

Swimming with grandma & grandpa

We had a wonderful time in Mexico. The kids had a ball in the water, sun, & sand. They would wake up each morning asking for the "cool (pool) & ocean"......tough decisions when you're 2 & on vacation in Cabo. It felt like a long week & got us excited & ready for summer!

Spring Weekend

The weather was sunny & mid 70's this past weekend. We took advantage & spent as much time outside as possible. We bbq'd at our friend Kara & Rob's, went to Riverfront Park (fed the ducks & went on the carousel), and played in the backyard on their toys. The carousel wasn't that big of a hit with Ravenna & Hudson had his moments on it. He did go twice though.

Today I woke up to rain and it is supposed to continue through the week. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.

Hudson had at TB (tuberculosis) test today. They do give a little shot right below the skin & we go back in 48 hours to see if he has ever been exposed to it. I took both the kids to one of the local Urgent Care Clinics, which is where they do these tests. I haven't been in one of these Doc in a Box Clinics in quite some time. There were people from all walks of life, made for some interesting people watching. When we got called back you would have thought we were torturing my children. They both started screaming (poor nurse couldn't get the door shut fast enough). Anyway, I had to set Ravenna down so I could hold Hudson down for the shot. The time spent in the room was less than 5 minutes. I couldn't get the kids out of there fast enough. I am still unsure if Ravenna thought she was going to have to get one or she was sad for Hudson. Maybe it was just the male nurse in the blue scrubs with the white gloves on...probably a mixture of all.

Lesson learned try to take one child at a time to the Dr.'s office, when at all possible.

YWCA Spring Fling

Cute program designed by Stefani Byrd
Darling place settings with spring themes

Me, Alisha, Hope, Ann Marie, & Irene

Thank you to my mother in law Irene for always being so generous. She took us girls to the YWCA Spring Fling fundraiser/silent auction this morning. The food was excellent, the weather perfect, great view overlooking Spokane River Falls, the company the best, and all for a good cause! I always love to catch up with my sister in laws. Another reason we are so fortunate to live in Spokane with such a wonderful family.

Playing outside....finally!

This past week has been fun & some new experiences for us. Hudson successfully locked himself & Ravenna in his bedroom. We didn't even realize there was a lock on his door (there's not anymore). I was thinking how well they were playing in there for such a long time....terrible. Stephan had to take the door handle off to get in.
We had Stephan's sister Alisha or Aunty Lala, Ron & Danny over for dinner one night. They got to see how Ravenna has changed now that Hudson is here. It is all for the better. Our household is just a little crazier at times.
Hudson went back to the Dr. and is all caught up where he should be on things. So hopefully we won't have to be back there for a while.
Both the kids went to the dentist this week. They weren't big fans of the guy wearing the blue gloves who was trying to take a look at their chops. The Dr.'s weren't a big hit with our kids.
Spokane is finally starting to get some nice spring like weather. So we ventured to the park & wore them out. We also spent some time at Jump -n - Play again with my friends Kara, Tracy & Tara & their little kids.
Happy Spring!

Kara & her nephew Cameron. Kara is due anyday with her second child little Brady.

Ravenna was really digging this drinking fountain

A little slide time

Hudson successfully scaled his way across. He is a bigger dare devil than Ravenna, our cautious one.

Funny little smile

Going down the big slide

First adventure in our new double stroller. Thanks to the gift cards my girlfriends gave me!

Hannah & Grayson Bowles came over to meet Hudson!

Licking the beaters is the best part
Showing off his Vans to Aunty Lala

Spring Break Week

We had a fun Spring Break week. We spent the first part of the week in town. Then headed up to Priest for some end of season winter fun. Although the way this winter has been, the snow will probably be around for a while. I wondered what Hudson would think of the lake. He loved it all. His favorite was snowmobiling on the "motorcycles" (which is what Hudson calls them) or the "vroom, vroom's" (as Ravenna calls them). The one snafoo was the kids shared a bedroom for the first time. It didn't go so well. Which means sleeping didn't go so well for mom & dad. Oh well we will just have to work on that. Even though it is a little sad to see the snow go, it sure is great to see the ground & know that spring is supposedly here.
Stay tuned for pictures with no snow & fun in the sun. Cabo here we come!