Christmas 2017

This year we stayed in Bellingham for Christmas.  It was a fun holiday season with good traditions the kids got to enjoy.  We had a fun time putting up decorations and decorating the tree with ornaments.  The kids loved it and thought it was fun to see everything on the tree the weeks leading up to Christmas.

They loved to eat a candy from the countdown chain every day, and change the numbers on the countdown blocks.

Paige was excited for the start of the Christmas season since I had been telling her that the baby wouldn't come till after Christmas, but she still had to adjust to a longer wait.  She told me for weeks what she wanted to ask for from Santa.  They both did great with Santa and were both excited to see him and ask for a special present they wanted for Christmas.

Paige was happy and nice while she talked to Santa and asked for Elsa and Anna multiple times.
Mason couldn't wait to ask for Pokemon, anything Pokemon. They did great posing for my picture.

While family was up we made sugar cookies and had lots of fun hanging out with family and the kids played a ton with their cousins.

We went to church on Christmas Eve then spent the night at Grandma B's house for dinner, time with family and presents.  The kids had a great time and loved what they got.  Mason was so happy to see a race car, gun, new hat, and fun toys.

Paige was all too thrilled to get dress-up stuff, along with Moana.  She sang the Moana songs all night and insisted on wearing her earrings all the way home.

We had all the cousins over at our house Christmas Eve night.  They slept pretty well considering what night it was.  W got to watch the kids open their Santa presents and their stockings.  They loved it, and were so happy they got everything they asked for.  We had cinnamon rolls, egg souffle, and juice for a quick breakfast and then back to playing with our stuff.

We opened a few more present from my family before heading over to JB and Debz house for the rest of the presents and a fun afternoon with family. The kids all had a great time playing Uno-Attack.  I was really worried Mason would be sad and pout when the cards spit out at him, but he loved it and laughed every time.

We loved all the things we got and being able to watch our kids open presents and see all of our family and give them their presents.

The kids also opened presents when my parents came up in January as a second Christmas.  We got new movies, I got super cute Hunter boots, Christopher got shoes specific to mountain biking, and the kids got some fun things from some of their Aunts and an awesome craft station set from Grammie and Paka.  They have had the best time making all kinds of fun projects.

I love the Christmas season and focusing on family and love.  We are so lucky to spend time with family and around those we love.

Mason turned 5

Mason turned 5! He had a very relaxed and fun birthday.

He had friends for both his 3rd and 4th birthday so we decided to make it low key and just have some family over for his birthday.

He had preschool that morning where we brought Rice Krispy Treats for his class, and they made him a paper glitter crown, and let him wear a cape and sang to him at snack time.  He loved it and felt very special.

We grabbed donuts on the way home.

At home we surprised him with an inflatable hulk that JB has had stored away for years..  He loved it.  We spent the day making his cake, and playing the games he wanted.

We had JB and Debz over along with GiGi and Grandma B for dinner which surprise, surprise he chose pizza.

Mason is so fun and energetic.  He loves to play video games, card games, board games, and wrestle.  He loves taking care of Paige and making sure she has one of whatever he has because he knows how much she loves to copy what he does.  He is a great big brother, an amazing little boy and the best son in the world.

Some of Mason's favorites:
Food: Mac n' cheese
Color: Green
Movie: Space Jam
Toy: Pokemon
Things to do: Play outside, ride my bike on the trail, play video games

Grammie's Visit

We were so lucky that my mom was able to come up and visit us for a week.  She flew in on Saturday morning and we wanted to make the most of it.  After stopping at the house to drop off her things and eat a quick breakfast we headed over to hike Oyster Dome.

Mason did great after his initial whinnying and ran up the switchbacks beating us up the mountain.  We loved the views and being able to enjoy the outdoors.  Mason did get to ride back with Christopher while I carried Paige down.  They are really funny when we walk or hike because Paige is too little to keep up and has to ride even though she wants to walk, and Mason is too big to carry but refuses and complains about having to walk.

After we cleaned up and realized a little we headed out for dinner at El Rin.  It tasted so good, but probably because I was really tired.  My mom said she slept great that night.

The next day was Easter Sunday so we went to church then after we had dinner of ham, deviled eggs, potatoes, jello eggs, and rolls.  It was really good.  After dinner we went for a walk through Whatcom Falls where once again Mason wasn't too excited to walk so my mom took pity on him and carried him for a little while.  Paige even got to walk part of the way and cried when we put her back in the stroller.

My mom was able to come watch Mason's tee ball practice and game that week and it was a lot of fun watching him perform for her and making sure he did a good job for all the people that came to watch.

The rest of the week we spent, playing outside, going to a park and getting caught in the rain on the way home, meeting Christopher at the Bagelry, watching movies and shows, going down to the Tulip Festival, playing tons on my mom's phone and kindles, reading books, and of course baking.

Mason loved helping make the pretzels, he got to punch the dough over and over again, if you know Mason that is what he's all about.

One night after the kids went down my mom and I were able to go on a walk just the two of us and it was so fun.  I love going on walks with my mom and getting the chance to talk with her.

My kids (and I) were so sad the morning we had to drop her off at the airport and Mason still asks how long until we go down there this summer for a camping trip.

It was so much fun to have my mom here and for the kids to get some one-on-one time with Grammie.  We miss you and can't wait for our trip next month!

Melissa visits

My sister Melissa was awesome enough to take some of her vacation time off work and come visit us.  The kids were so excited to see her.  We picked her up from the airport after dropping Mason off at preschool.  Paige and I took Melissa on a walk at Squalicum Beach we only stayed for a little while since it was windy and kind of cold.

We spent the night making pizza for dinner and hanging out.

We woke up the next morning and started out on an adventure to Canada.  We made it across the border and started off with some site seeing from the show Psych.  We found the house where Henry Spencer lived.  I didn't think I would be interested or excited about seeing it but it was fun to see and recognize it from t.v. We also saw the Psych office, the pier and boardwalk and a few other places.

We ate lunch at Moby Dick's which was delicious and we grabbed Tim Horton donuts before heading back across the border.  It was a good thing we had snacks because it was a long wait back across the border.

 It was also nice to get to use our new car and that the kids could be entertained with a movie.
We spent the rest of our time hanging out, going on walks, playing at parks and enjoying the time we got to spend together.

The kids and I were both sad to send her home but were glad with the time we got to spend with her.  Thanks Melissa for using some of your vacation to come see us, we love ya!

Pearrygin '17- Long rope

Pearrygin 2017 was awesome.  The kids were great ages for  camping on the lake this year.  Mason is great because he can take care of himself and is still really timid about the water but became more daring being around the older kids.  Paige was great and walked around on the sand and played in the water never venturing in above her knees.

They both loved going on the GTX and the new Jet-Bobs.  They were constantly asking if they could ride and that it Paige would often state that it was her turn.

We spent time lounging in the water, building sand castles, riding in the kayaks, playing with the cousins, and eating a lot of snacks.

We made a few trips into town for ice cream and the kids loved it.  Paige was really excited the night we got her strawberry cheesecake flavor because it was pink, and has often asked for pink milkshakes since.

We love seeing all the cousins and spending time just playing with them.

The older boys had a great time messing around like usual being silly and trying something new and crazy.  This year it was long rope.  They hooked up all our ropes together and took turns combo skiing behind the boat.  It was quite a sight.

PICS SOON

Pearrygin was a blast, and we loved every minute of it.