Friends here to visit!

The last few weeks have been pretty busy! We got visitors from Calgary last weekend! Our friends Bobbi and Jer and their 4 kids came to visit last Thursday and they stayed until Monday afternoon. We did a lot of stuff while they were here, which was at times a bit much for our kids, but all in all it was a great weekend! We went to Snoqualmie Falls Friday afternoon (and underestimated the hike down to the bottom and ended up being late picking Adam up from preschool, oops!). Saturday we took the ferry to Bainbridge Island and hung out at a park for a while, went down to the water. The ferry was a lot of fun for the kids:). We also went out for dinner that night, which proved to be a bit much for Adam in particular. We had to wait for an hour because of our large party (they originally told us it would only be 30-40 minutes, I'm not sure we would have waited if we had known it would be an hour) and it was just too much for him. We did manage to get him calmed down a few minutes after finally sitting down and he was actually fine for the rest of the meal, thank goodness! The service was good after that so it was worthwhile (I think!). Sunday we took a trip to the zoo. It didn't start out the greatest, Adam was again not cooperating very well so I took him to the Zoomazium, which is just an indoor play area. I don't know why we haven't gone there before! It ended up being an outing-saver for not just Adam, but Nathan joined us a little while later, and then the whole Sampson clan because their kids were melting down as well! We played there for a while and then Brian and Jer took the youngest kids home and Bobbi and I stayed with the older ones and had a great time! Yes, it was a very busy weekend and we may have tried to do too much in a short time, but that's just how it goes when people come to visit. They are on vacation so you have to try and give them the best experience you can without burning out your family, it's a delicate balance! We did have a great time and are taking it easy this weekend before another wave of visitors - Brian's parents on Easter weekend, and then Mary and Dave the Tuesday after Easter. Looking forward to having more familiar faces around here!

What else has been going on the last few weeks . . . we continue to flip flop back and forth about whether or not we should buy a house here or just keep renting (but a different house). We have serious misgivings about buying in this crazy market that is so favorable to buyers at the moment, I have heard of people putting in offers on multiple houses and being rejected over and over. Renting seems much simpler and safer and could quite possibly end up being financially more responsible. However, it's also important that we find the right house to rent, and there just aren't that many out there in our area (we have this problem when we look at houses for sale, too). I heard yesterday about a house that could be perfect for us to rent - 4 bedroom, just a few blocks away so Lynsey could stay at the same school, nicely redone and has the ONE thing that I will be insisting on in our next house - an ensuite bathroom. I am very hopeful! I heard about it from a friend from Lynsey's school, so I've asked her to get me in touch with the landlord. I'm just praying that it will work out if it's meant to be, I am so tired of worrying about this. I know, I shouldn't worry about it, but it's hard. Having a crystal ball would sure be nice so we could make the best decision:-/.

Nathan is becoming much more social, and we seem to have reached the point where having a friend over to play is lower maintenance for me than just having him here alone! He really loved Bobbi and Jer's baby, too, which was pretty cute:).

I can't think of much else to report! Life as usual I guess!

Life as usual!

What has happened in the last few weeks . . . I started sewing! I sewed Lynsey a very simple nightgown which turned out okay, and I just finished sewing her a dress that was definitely more difficult. I made some mistakes, as is to be expected, but I think it turned out okay in the end. I'm not sure how I feel about her wearing something I made her in public, it feels really weird . . . like I should be with her explaining to everyone that walks by that yes, the hem isn't great and here's why, and yes the pockets aren't quite at the same height but I just didn't feel like moving them after all the other adjustments, etc. etc. You get the picture! I will have to just let it go and let her wear it even with it's imperfections! I definitely have already learned a lot just with the two projects I've made so far, and I know I still have lots left to learn! I'm enjoying it, it's been fun! I do get frustrated pretty easily, but I will have to learn to let some little things go. This will be a good lesson for me!

Nathan is growing up before our very eyes! Wow, it feels like he is turning into a little man. He didn't want to eat his lunch today, and made quite a fuss about it. We aren't into forcing our kids to eat, so after a while, Brian asked Nathan if he could eat his soup. He agreed that he could, so Brian ate his soup. A little bit later, he was asking for a snack (surprise surprise!) and we said, no, he didn't eat his lunch. Then he looks at Brian and all accusingly says, "But you ate my soup! So can I have some chocolate pretzels now?" We had a pretty good laugh about that one - nice try, Buddy:).

Lynsey had her class production of "Annie" last week. She had only one short line because they had to involve the entire second grade, but she said her line with much expression and enthusiasm:). Our great friends Bobbi and Jer are visiting us next week, and Lynsey has been counting down the days for Gavin and Galen to come visit. It should be a lot of fun!

What is new with Adam . . . not a whole lot. I ordered him a big tricycle off Amazon today, it's the same kind that he likes to ride at preschool. I am hopeful that this might mean that we can FINALLY go to the park without having to push him along, but I guess we will have to wait and see how it goes over! He is so capable of pedaling, I just can't understand why he is so uninterested. It's not surprising, since he doesn't really show interest in anything but stimming and playing in his bean table, but I wish I knew how to make things interesting for him. Imagine the things we could learn about him if he put in a little effort once in a while! I think we might learn that he knows how to do all KINDS of things we didn't know about!

I ran my St. Patricks Day run this morning in Kirkland! It was rainy but warm, so doable. My friend Jeni has done it for a few years now, and she told me that it was a bit hilly, but she didn't really tell me the full extent of it. I've run races with hills before, probably even more hills overall than this one, but this is the first race I've ever done where the first 3km was basically all uphill (there were two very brief downhill portions in there, but virtually no straight sections). I'm glad I didn't know, I think I would have psyched myself out quite badly. So tough! But I stayed with it mentally and reaped my reward with the easiest finish to a race ever! I managed to salvage a pretty good time at 27:50, which I was happy with considering the hill situation. I had originally wanted to hit 27 minutes, but that was not happening on this course. Maybe next year, since I'll be prepared! It was really fun, I'm glad I did it and I felt really great after:). Man those first 18 minutes I kept thinking to myself, this madness has to come to end soon and I'll be home free! Soon! I'm proud of myself for never giving in and walking.

No one under THREE in this house anymore!

It's been a long time since my last post. February has been a bit of a blur! We had our mid-winter break, but we didn't really do much. On Valentine's Day, Brian got a big lobster and some steak and we had a feast after the kids went to bed (Lynsey really wanted to see him put the lobster in the water, but she was really scared of it, too!). The following Friday after school, Lynsey got the stomach flu. Joy! Adam got it on Sunday, which was very unpleasant, and Brian and I got a mild version of it on Monday. Nathan escaped somehow! I had forgotten how a sickness like that can paralyze your life, I feel like that time was a total blur. We haven't had a stomach flu in our house since right before Nathan was born. Anyway, we recovered and life got back to normal:). We met with Steve and Tanya Thursday for lunch in South Lake Union which was fun (driving downtown was not, but it has to get easier with practice, right??).

Yesterday we celebrated our little Nathan! Such a special little three year old he is:). In the morning, we met Steve and Tanya at the Aquarium, and then went to the Crab Pot for lunch. It was a nice outing! After naptime, we had a little mini-party for Nathan at the park with Andy and Kristy and Elisse and Kelly. The sun was so lovely! It did start getting cold close to 5 o clock, but I'd say we lucked out being able to have a February birthday party at the park at all! Nathan loved the presents and his Dusty cake, I continue to marvel at what a typical little boy he is:).

Not much else to report on from the last few weeks. Oh - I got a sewing machine! Very impulsive purchase from Amazon, I suddenly decided that I wanted to learn to sew because seriously - what a useful skill! I have some fabric and a pattern, my first project is going to be a nightgown for Lynsey. Wish me luck! I know I can do this if I set my mind to it and just put a bit of effort in, I just hope I stay interested. I would love to be able to sew Easter dresses and Christmas dresses for Lynsey one day - what great memories of matching with my sisters all through my growing up years! I know she doesn't have to sister to match with, but still:). I'll keep you posted!