A Summer Evening

Today was beautiful - again. We've had awesome weather. Jonathan barbecued cheeseburgers and sweet potatoes, and we ate out in the backyard. It was perfect.

Maggie loves sweet potatoes! (Look, she's finally getting some hair up on top!)

Stella showing off her water balloon

...and throwing it at mommy! :)

We've also explored a couple of new parks near our house this week. The first was Yost Park, which has lots of interesting trails through a forest with a creek running through it, an outdoor pool and a rather pitiful playground. We may check out the pool at a later date - they were having what looked like a middle school pool party while we were there and Stella totally thought she was old enough to hang with the big kids. She was actually pretty offended that she couldn't join them.

We also had an impromptu nature lesson. We saw a hummingbird in its nest - it barely looked real, except that its tail was vibrating ever so slightly.

We also learned about bees and how they pollinate.

We also checked out Francis Anderson park, which is right next to the Edmonds library and community center. We walked our babies in their buggies for a little while, then it was time to try out the playground. I've noticed that a lot of the playgrounds around here don't have any swings!! Not good for a little girl who loves to swing. The school by our house doesn't have any either. :(

Have I mentioned how much I just love these girls??

Us.

Here's a little video that just illustrates us and our days so well. Stella set up a pretend picnic for her and Maggie and was even pretending to feed Maggie food (using a shoe, among other random things, for "food"!) and it was so adorable. I went to get the camera and of course by the time I started recording...well, it didn't go exactly as I'd planned. :)

I love how Stella doesn't have any pants on for some reason, and how she bounces back and forth between happy and whiny. I love how Maggie tries to join in the conversation. I love how my shoe is apparently "chicken". :)

Sunshine and Sea

We've had some gorgeous weather here this week.  A couple of days ago the girls and I walked down to the beach.  It is just so spectacular here in the summer, it almost makes you forget about the rest of the year...

I love the beach!!

I love this toy, too!  Yum!

Diggin' in the sand.

Watching for the ferry to come in.

Playing at the beach is hard work!

Giveaways!

So I've decided to enter a couple of giveaways.  The first is for something I love - cloth diapers!  A Canadian company, Apple Cheeks, has recently started distributing here in the US and there are a couple of giveaways going on for these diapers.  They look GREAT.  

A few words about cloth diapers... (WARNING - the next few paragraphs talk about poop!) ;)

Most of you probably know that I use cloth diapers, and love them.  My number one favourite thing is the money factor - you can save a lot of money!!  And of course they reduce waste.  Bonus points if you buy used diapers and/or use them same diapers on more than one child.  Another thing I prefer about cloth is the poop containment factor.  In my experience (with both girls) disposables just do not contain blowouts very well.  Last week when I was in California (see pictures below!), I had Maggie in disposables and was reminded of what a pain it is to have to change clothes and make sure the stains come out of the clothing in the wash.  So.  I really like using cloth diapers.  And no, it really isn't that difficult to keep up with the washing!  I promise. :)

I prefer using fitted diapers and covers, because I like being able to re-use the cover (cheaper this way too, as you don't need many covers).  I also like the convenience of a pocket diaper, especially if I know I need extra absorbancy if we'll be in the car for a while or something - but - I HATE having to stick my hand in the back of a pocket diaper to pull out a wet insert, and let's not even talk about when it's poopy!!  So, I'm really excited about Apple Cheeks because they can be used either as a pocket or laying the insert in it and using it as a cover.  AND, the pocket opening is in the middle of the diaper - this means not only are they easier to stuff, but the insert comes out by itself in the wash!  Love it.

So, all this to say I'm entering a couple of giveaways for these diapers, and I'm thinking about saving up to by their starter kit HERE.  Maggie is outgrowing her smaller diapers and I'm trying to to figure out what to do next.  I want to make some more diapers for her (I've made a couple already), but I'm starting to think it just isn't realistic to sew as many as she'll need at this point in my life! ;)  And their size 2 diapers ought to fit her until she is potty trained.  If I'm really lucky, they might even fit Stella and I won't have to buy any more princess pull-ups for nighttime for her!

Check out the giveaways at:

Our Life Upstate 

and

Two of a Kind Working on a Full House

Check out the giveaways if you use cloth diapers, or are thinking about using them!

Also check out Apple Cheeks HERE.

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The other giveaway I want to talk about is even more exciting because the item was made by the wife of a friend I grew up with, sort of an honorary little brother (though I'm the little one now!). ;)  You can find Tim and Beth's blog HERE.  I've only met Beth twice, one of those times being her wedding, but she is such a lovely girl, and obviously if Tim loves her she must be great! ;)  She is also very talented and makes beautiful jewelry for her etsy shop, called LillianRay.  Her jewelry is also reasonably priced, which is good. :)  She has a giveaway going on for this necklace:

Isn't it pretty?  

Check out the giveaway HERE.

The LillianRay etsy shop HERE.  (Go have a look.  Right now.)

The Facebook page HERE.

Did I mention this lovely lady also runs an event design business, Quintessence Events.  Yes folks, she is beautiful AND talented. :)

Enjoy the giveaways!!

California!

I'm pretty sure the few people who read this blog were all a part of our trip to California last week, so I'll skip the commentary and just get on with the pictures! :)

On the train

Maggie wasn't a fan of the floaty ring...

Stella loves the pool, especially with Auntie Anna

Is that Alice in Wonderland?

Maggie helping with the laundry

Swimming is hard work

Mommy finally trimmed my bangs!

Some shots by Stella

Do we sense a "feet" theme going on here? :)

And here is a video showcasing all of Maggie's skills - babbling, spit bubbles, chewing on things, and spitting up. :)

Yes, Maggie sits now.  She's totally a pro.

And don't you just want to munch on those cheeks?

Packing, Easter, Baptism, More Packing

We're moving to our new place on Saturday.  Tomorrow Jonathan leaves for Presbytery, coming home late Friday night (the night before we move).  He is also preaching on Sunday.  As you can imagine, things are pretty crazy around here!  Things are slowly getting packed, thanks to lots of help from friends and Grandma watching the wee ones.  Also, Maggie was finally baptised last week, at nearly 5 months old.  She didn't even peep when Pastor Kelly poured the water over her head.  And that's all I've got for you now - must get these monkeys into bed and do some more PACKING!  Yippee!

Dyeing eggs

Egg hunt in Grandma's yard

At church after Margaret's baptism

My beautiful girls

The girls (with our cute little friends Georgiana and Gideon)

The whole family (guess who had to be talked into being in this picture?)

The girlies

This is kind of boring, but I'm posting it for Grampa, Gramma and Auntie Anna - I know you guys will love it. :)

We love you and miss you!!