Time to catch up!

How horrible is it that I haven't blogged since June?  Can I blame it on life passing us by?  I hope so! 

So much life has happened since then...

I was lucky enough to go on two girl's trips.  The first was to Palm Springs and we had an amazing time!  These girls are so special to me and we always have such a special time.  My other trip was to Ellensburg for a mini college reunion - we had a fabulous time reminiscing and laughing so hard it hurt!  Love these girls!

 

We enjoyed our annual trip to Banks Lake with the family - lots of boating and basking in the sun!

Cara and Jared's wedding in Sequim was beyond beautiful!  Both kids were asked to be in the wedding and we had a wonderful time seeing the family and celebrating with everyone!

 

We headed to Chelan for a fun weekend with friends - the kids had a blast and the parents did as well!

 

Addi joined her first year of soccer and had a good time!

AJ started preschool and Addi started 1st grade!  The kids are both in their routines and love going every day.  They are learning so much!

Halloween was a lot of fun this year - AJ really caught on to the whole candy thing and was in heaven!

Aaron and I celebrated our birthdays - our mid-thirties are treating us well!

AJ turned 4 - where has the time gone?  This kid has a smile that will melt your heart and then a smirk that tells you he's up to no good - haha!!  He keeps our hearts full and our ears perked!

That's the shortest recap of 5 months I hope I ever have to do!!  Here's some more pics just for fun!

 

 

 

The first part of our Spring memories!

Addi participated in her first dance clinic and performed at half time of the Tri Cities Fever football game with her good friend Brianna.  They loved it and did a really great job!

The kids made a first attempt at hiking Badger Mountain.  We made it about halfway :-).

Easter weekend was spent in Wenatchee again this year.  Friday night we met my family for dinner at Godfather's (who doesn't love a pizza buffet?).  We always have a good time and the kids were spoiled by my dad and stepmom with early Easter baskets filled with candy and fun toys!  Saturday the kids went fishing with the Aaron, his dad, brother and cousin - I think it was a tad chaotic, but the kids had fun!  Church was much more pleasant this year, than last (read about it here) - the kids made it through the entire service and afterwards we convened at Aaron's parent's house for gifts, an Easter egg hunt and a game of croquet - everyone was spoiled and had a great time!

 

 

 

Mother's Day weekend started out with an overnight stay at The Wildhorse Resort & Casino.  We did this a few years back and had a great time.  This year we started with a movie at their movie theater, then followed that up with a few hours at the pool.  We got DQ for dinner and had popcorn and m&m's for dessert!  The kids are already asking to go back.

For Mother's Day I held a brunch at my house with my mom and my sister and brother's families.  I can't remember the last time all of us were together under one roof - good food and good laughs were had!



Fun trip to the park...

The Sparks in March

March was such a fun month! 

 

Addison just adores her cousin Abbi (they are 5 years apart) and loves spending time with her.  Abbi lives 6 hours away, so when the opportunity presented itself in early March to help Abbi celebrate her 11^th birthday in Wenatchee, we were on it!  The girls played together all weekend – making up dances, playing with dolls, shopping and giggling over everything and anything.  When the time came to go, tears were shed, but there were lots of hugs and promises to get together again soon. 

 

 

Addison’s school held a movie night in their cafeteria one weekend and the kids had a blast!  There was a giant movie screen and the kids brought in blankets and pillows and ate treats throughout the night.  I hope the school offers this again!

 

Of the 31 days in March, 9 of those were spent in Hawaii!!!  There was 6 of us total (myself, Aaron, Aaron’s parents, Aaron’s brother and his girlfriend) and we stayed at a gorgeous home on the Big Island.  The weather was perfect, not too hot, and the entire stay was very relaxing.  We ate great food, enjoyed delicious drinks, snorkeled, shopped, golfed, watched beautiful sunsets, visited friends that live on the island, swam in our pool – it was so much fun!  We surprised Bob & Gwen for their 40^th wedding anniversary with a limo ride to a nice restaurant followed by dessert at the house with tons of letters, cards and pictures from family and friends that had written to share their memories!  We owe a GIANT thank you to Bob & Gwen for an amazing week filled with so much fun – the memories are priceless!

 

 

 

My sister and her family were in town the weekend we returned from Hawaii.  We had dinner at a local pizza/arcade place and then headed to the trampoline park.  It was packed, but the kids managed to jump, climb and slide for an hour.  All of the cousins had a great time!

Fun times in February!

Our February was full of fun!

Superbowl – yay!!  After a long season of mostly last minute wins and a few losses, it was so nice to watch a game where we dominated the entire time.  It seemed surreal!  It was also nice seeing how the entire state bonded over this game – strangers were becoming fast friends!

Miss Addison Sparks turned 6 – holy cow, where has the time gone?  Her actual birthday landed on a Friday and unfortunately school was canceled that day so she was stuck home with me and her brother (I work every other Friday).  We made it fun though – we had a nice lunch, stopped at the park and went to visit the pot belly pigs and puppies at a local feed store (our friends own it).  That evening, family came in from out of town and we all went to dinner and opened gifts – she was thrilled with all of her clothes and doll accessories!

The next day her Grandma Sparks treated her to a day at the salon – she got an updo, her makeup done and her nails painted – she looked adorable!  She decided to have her party at the arcade again this year and we had a packed house – I think everyone had a good time!

Aaron and I were able to spend some alone time with AJ one night while Addi went to a sleepover.  We took him to Red Robin for dinner and then out to a hockey game.  He wasn’t too interested in the hockey game, but loved the giant tub of popcorn he got to devour mid-way through.  It was nice spending some one-on-one time with him – he’s the most active kid that loves giving kisses and hugs (especially when he wants something – haha!).

It was a fun February and I can’t believe we’re already mid-way through March!  The weather is warming up and we’re venturing outside more and more!

January Fun!

On January 1^st, Aaron and I took off on a mini vacation to sunny California!  One of his friends was getting married in San Luis Obispo, so we thought we’d tack on a few days before the wedding to see a little bit more of California.  We stayed two nights in Monterey, right along the water.  The weather was perfect (mid 60’s)!  We tried out restaurants, walked everywhere and just relaxed.  Then we took off down the coastline towards the wedding festivities!  Along the way we stopped off at Pebble Beach for breakfast and to walk the grounds and we also took in the Pacific Coast Highway – wow, that road is very long and very windy, but the scenery is worth it!  The wedding was fun – we got to catch up with a lot of Aaron’s friends and stay at a very unique hotel, The Madonna Inn.  It was a great mini vacation!

The rest of January was very mild and much needed – after the holidays and our little vacation, we needed to take it down a notch. 

Here’s just a few more things that were fun this month…

• Addi started gymnastics again and is loving it!
• We celebrated my mom’s birthday with dinner at our house.  It’s so nice to be able to do this after so many years of her being in Wenatchee.
• Enjoyed watching the Seahawks win all of their playoff games!