Adventures

A couple weeks ago, the sky opened up and poured sunshine over Washington.

It was glorious.

I woke up, and begin getting my kids ready to find an outdoor activity. Without much effort we ran across Latin Farms a few miles down the road from us. 

It was full of animals, homemade baked goods, and best of all it was free!

Sign me up!

Gabe has started posing himself lately:)

I can't get enough of my sweet boys! They are polar opposites of each other though. Gabe has always been so easy going, brave, and social.

And Landon, well, I think the animals traumatized him. He wanted nothing to do with them.

Do you see how Landon always keeps his eyes on them? On the other hand, five minutes before this picture was taken there were no goats, the Gabe began calling for them and the all ran over. Gabe, he is the goat whisperer.

And now on to the main event...

The bake goods.

They were so good.

I may be a little obsessed with the brownie above.

And of course Gabe thinks anything with sugar is wonderful!

And Landon, well, he has slightly lower standards. As long as it is edible (and i use the word edible very loosely) then he is all for it!

And I leave you with this last picture. This is the old couple that runs the farms back hard. This is Washington in one 

picture. Isn't it amazing?

You are my sunshine!

There isn't much sun round these parts. Everyone knows we live in the rainiest state in the country, but those are just words until you live here and experience it. 

Our family loves rain, we always have. I love waking up every morning to fog, perma-mist, and deep rich colors that only rain can bring out in nature.

It really is another world here. Walking on the grass(which is green year round) is like walking on a sponge. It can look like it is pouring outside because everything is soaked, but when you step outside, you just don't get wet. That's because the rain drops are so small, they are more of a think mist than rain.

And the best part? It's not humid. (this is amazing for a curly haired girl)

Another positive? When the sun is out... You appreciate it. 

And that, is exactly what we did last week.

Out came the sun, up went the temperature (to a whopping 77 degrees:), so out came the water toys!

Another thing the rain brings out? Frogs! They are small, Bright green, and not very friendly. But, within minutes my boys became master frog catchers:)

We played, we swam, we shivered, we laughed and we layed in the sun all afternoon. 

And another thing about living here? 3 hours in the sun, and not a drop of color. Not even in the shade of red.

Well at least my blinding white legs are the same color as everyone else's here :)

A little more doing, and less getting done

Life is an adventure with two busy boys. No task is simple any more. 

Making dinner or dessert is no longer a woman\'s task. I always have a pair of  little boys hands ready to mix, stir, and Gabe\'s favorite, crack eggs. A freshly mopped floor is obviously a large slip \'n slide.

 And last but not least, laundry has taken on a whole new meaning. Laundry has turned into a big game of put and take...followed by throw and run. I put it in the basket, Landon takes it, throws it, then runs and squeals. 

But, through each task, the giggles and the fun melt my frustration and I give in to a little family fun. :)

Bath time, which used to consist of yummy smelling salts and candles, have been traded in for bubbles, soaked floors and rugs, and toys. But, I think baths are more fun this way anyway:)

See?

Aren't they perfect reasons to forget all my other tasks?

Besides, they're cut when they're cleaner. :)

 

Texas size Easter

While we were in El Paso we got to experience Easter, Texas style. I must admit... It is pretty much like Easter in Utah or Washington:) 

First we discovered that due to one very windy night, the Easter Bunny was forced to hide the Easter Baskets inside the house. Though, despite the change in locations, the boys were not disappointed. Treats and books for everyone!

First we found all the Easter eggs. Landon quickly caught on to the game and Gabe was a great older brother, letting 

Landon find the easy ones. It wasn't very long before both boys had their baskets filled.

Landon accidentally dropped one of the eggs and it cracked open and wow! Behold the candy! Oh so exciting!

Yessss! Candy! 

Then it was time for church. I must say. No Sunday more is more difficult than the one where you have to pry your children away from their candy to get dressed up.

Oh but it is worth it! Look how handsome! I am still working on getting that one perfect shot with those beautiful smiles...and the same time.

Mommy time

Today has been one of those days. I can't decide if anything about today was really as bad as it seemed, or if I was the problem:) I am leaning towards... A bad day. It actually started off on a good spiritual note with a lovely visiting teaching message, followed by a trip to the salon to cut Gabe's hair (which he loves to do), and then home again for lunch.

After lunch was a different story. One drama after another from fighting with friends, to one grounded little boy. To two little boys too busy playing to sit and finish their dinner, and ended with Landon throwing up on me (missing my face but covering my hair) and Gabe being so hungry from missing dinner that it is PB&J at 10 pm.

Now that I am reading my troubles back to myself I am pretty sure my older sister would smack me (cause what I described is pretty much her daily routine) and tell me to take a nap (cause that usually ends the "whole world is crashing down" feeling). 

But, as I lay here, freshly showered and barf free, and watch my babies sleep I feel so happy to be a Mom. I squish their chubby toes, brush hair from their foreheads, and kiss their cheeks. Then they twitch a little and I hold my breathe while they roll and get comfy again, cause lets be real here. I love them but mom needs some alone time. 

The men in my life

So, after a week or two in El Paso I decided to take advantage of the desert landscape and get a few pictures of my boys. I am not one for the desert, I'm more of northwest landscape kind of gal:) but one thing this barren landscape does offer is beautiful sunsets. I snapped a few of my boys just playin around.

Then we got down to the actual pictures. Grandma Rosie came and helped with what could only have been a complete failure if I had attempted it alone, boy we love her! So here is one of Gabe's:

Isn't he so amazing? Oh it kills me!

And here's is Landon's:

Oh my. I love those boys. They make me laugh so hard sometimes. I am so happy I get to be their mom!

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