Warm Winter Weather

Well it isn't officially Spring, but this past week has certainly felt like it around here. The kids and I have spent every day outside this past week and on the days he could, TJ has joined us. I don't know if this comes from living in Seattle for so many years, where sunny days are few and far between or if it's just because my days go better when the kids get some time outside...whatever the reason, if the sun is out and the weather is warm, I feel like we HAVE to get outside, even if it's just for 15 minutes. The best part about getting outside this week was that we got to meet some new neighbors. A family moved in just two houses down from us and they have a 5 year old boy and a 3 year old girl! Trip and Mady were so excited to make some new friends and so were TJ and I. The best part is their son, Jackson, will be starting kindergarten with Trip this fall, so he'll have a buddy right down the street to ride the bus with. This afternoon we were out playing with them and Trip and Mady got to take a few spins in their pink convertible kid car. Mady made it around the circle, but it was quite a bumpy ride. Trip was pretty good at driving until he decided to off-road it and crashed into some landscaping. If this is a sign of things to come in their teenage years, I am terrified! :-) TJ will have to be the one to teach them to drive, otherwise, I'll have to use an old trick my mom used while I was learning to drive. I call it the "imaginary brake." Any back seat driver that's tried to put the brake on when they weren't in the driver's seat know what I'm talking about. Trip and I battled with a stomach flu this week; Trip definitely got the worst of it. But, we are both feeling much better and we were all able to enjoy some time with my family this weekend as we celebrated my mom's birthday! It is so relaxing to spend time with family at my parent's log cabin in the mountains. Trip and his cousin Nicholas are like two peas in a pod. They play so well together and just have a great time. Mady is sometimes included in their games, but she likes to move to the beat of her own drum. The part that I find the most amusing is watching the three of them eat together at the kids table. There is always some kind of silliness at that table. And, the humor is usually something us adults cannot get. This weekend we got to see our precious nephew, Nolan, walking! He is getting so good at it. The cutest part of his walk is that he is never empty handed. There is always something in one or both of his little hands. It is so fun to see these cousins getting older and really having fun playing together. I can't wait to see how the fun and silliness grows! And, now as I look forward to the next week and I start looking at our ever-increasingly busy schedule, I am thankful for a fun week of beautiful weather and time outside and I am really hoping Spring is here for good! By the way, I had to add this photo of Mady from this past week. This is an outfit she put together all by herself. I think we may have a future fashionista on our hands. :-)