Livn' in the sun

In my ten years of living on the West coast, I have yet to acclimate to the weather.  I admit that I miss the Eastern Washington sunshine very much.  So, needless to say, when the sun comes out over here on the West side of the mountains, I take full advantage.  With that said, we've lived outside for the last four days.

On Saturday, we planted strawberries, tomatoes, and potatoes in containers on our deck.  No matter how old I get, playing in the dirt never gets old.

After church on Sunday, we took Tess to the Cougar Mountain Zoo. 

....and I thought I had bad hair days

The bird show was our favorite

I don't think I can even count the number of walks we went on or the number of parks we visited this last weekend. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANDSOME!

Today my dear husband turned 39.  I keep giving him a hard time about next years birthday....all in love of course.  Happy birthday to an incredible husband, a wonderful father, a strong leader, a hard worker, and an amazing man of integrity.  I love you and pray that the Lord blesses you in beautiful ways this year!

Welcome gift boxes

Somehow, I've managed to find a little time to sneak in Crafting these little welcome "Jayda" gift boxes.  It's been so wonderful to share in all of the baby preparation with Tess.  She is already such a great big sister!

31 weeks

This pregnancy has flown by.  It is very different in so many ways from my last pregnancy.  When I was pregnant with Tess, I was sick throughout my entire pregnancy.  I just wanted my due date to come as fast as possible.  This time around, I was sick in the beginning, but have felt great for months.  I've really had the opportunity to enjoy being pregnant, and part of me is sad that it has to come to an end.  The other part of me can't wait to meet our little girl.

Easter....He has risen

 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.   -John 3:16

The verse above pretty much sums up the true meaning of Easter for me.  What a beautiful, selfless, act of unconditional love.  Thank you Lord for sending Your son when we don't deserve it. 

What a beautiful Easter we had this year.  The bright warm sun was so refreshing and made for a perfect day. 

Tim and I wanted to start a special Easter tradition, so this year we set up one dozen plastic eggs in a special glass vase. Tess got to open one egg each day starting twelve days before Easter.  Each egg held a little symbol of the Easter story.  For example; on day one the egg had a little piece of purple cloth.  The note inside talked about how Jesus was mocked and was told to wear a purple robe.  The sixth day there was a little nail in the egg she opened.  The little note inside the egg for that day talked about how Jesus was nailed to the cross.  The very last egg had nothing in it....because that is the day that Jesus rose from the grave.  It was a great way for Tess to learn about the true meaning of Easter.  It also made for a great discussion at dinner every night.

Opening her Easter basket before church

Tim and I always look forward to cooking holiday breakfasts together

A fabulous day for trying out her new bubbles

Tessa's little cousin Fiona...such a doll

Our little monkey playing with her little Easter purse from her great aunt Marlene

Who are these dorky people anyways

Tim and I were responsible for dessert this year....a fabulously yummy job if I do say so myself!

I love our family togetherness and holidays.  We have such a big family and it always makes for such a fun time.  Love you all!

All rainbows are beautiful, but this one looked extra special.

A taste of Spring and hint of Easter

 I so often wonder where the time goes.  I think that I'm doing good updating the blog on what we've been up to usually to find myself several weeks behind.  Needless to say, here I am again a little late on these posts. 

In light of the season, we've been up to all those fun Easter and Spring activities.  We absolutely love holidays in our home.  However, I must say, I think that I enjoy them more now that we have kids...well, a toddler and one on the way.  Not that the holidays have more meaning, but rather the activities and traditions have become a little more special. 

I know that I've mentioned just how much Tess and I love crafting, but making holiday crafts has become our favorite. 

A homemade Easter Egg for the window.  For those of you who don't know where the Easter Egg tradition comes from, I'll leave it to you to do a little research....completely worth the time by the way.

Two of our favorite things to do in the Spring and summer are to go on walks and hikes.  The fresh air, exercise, and exploring are much needed and enjoyed after the long winters we have here in the pnw.

I can't begin to count the number of blossoms we have seen lately.  Not only are they gorgeous, but the fragrances are wonderfully delightful.

Given that we don't have a large yard for gardening anymore, we've managed to make the most of what we do have.  While Tim and I miss spending countless hours gardening and planting, we've come to enjoy the mini-garden on our deck.  Planting and gardening is a passion and tradition that we both love and want to pass on to our kids.

Tessa loves her new gardening set that she got from Aunt Amy for her Birthday

It seems that every year companies come up with more creative ways to color and decorate Easter Eggs.  I love it!



Here is Tessa sporting her new earring's.  Of course this mama and her preggo brain forgot to bring the camera.  I guess you could say that it's become a tradition in our family for mom, daughter, and grandma to all go together for ear piercing.  My grandma and mom went with me when I got my ears pierced, and we did the same with Tess this last weekend.

My sweet hubby made me a personalized egg

30 weeks and counting...

I know it's a little hard to tell from the picture, but Tessa's name is written on this egg.

....and last but certainly not least....Tessa and daddy were practicing their gymnastic ability and doing somersault's.  BTW...this was not the result of over doing it on Easter candy.