Being 40

Yes....I said it.  40.  And yes, turning 40 was a bit of a struggle for me. 

But you know what....I've got it good.  I LOVE my life at 40!!!! 



I am so thankful for all that I have at 40.  My beautiful and healthy family, safe and secure jobs....pretty much a life that I love living day after day for so many more reasons.

I was adament that I wanted to celebrate my birthday away from home so there was no chance of a "party".  Especially a SURPRISE party.  Not a fan of those.  I chose Vegas and asked some friends to join us.  We had a BLAST!!!

 I felt well-celebrated every step of the way!!!  From the moment we got off the airplane and a man in a suit was holiding a sign for us waiting to get in a limo...I felt so special!!!

We stayed at Mandalay Bay and got our share of pool time....(it was 90-92 degrees our entire stay...ahhhhhh!!!!).

Love, love, love VEGAS!!!  Where else can you see an alien just hanging out on the sidewalk???



It was a great birthday weekend!!!!  Thanks friends!!! :)

And thanks to Grandma and Grandpa who made the weekend possible!!!  I think the girls had just as much fun at home playing with them!  So nice to be able to leave and not worry about the kids every second!!! :)

From Harvest Festival face painting.....

To playing in the park....

Thanks everyone!!!!  40 is not so bad.......

Girl Scout Camp-Out

Avery and I were able to do another Mother-Daughter camping trip this year with the local Girl Scouts.  We had a great time!  Avery was thrilled to be camping in a tent again.  (I'll take the trailer any day!!)

This year's camp-out was near home....Birch Bay State Park. 
And the weather was GREAT!!!!  Sure beat last year's rainy weekend!

We took a little hike on the beach before the girls started making dinner....Avery and Alice had a good time making shadows along the way.

The girls got right to work on their chopping and grating duties when we got back.

The girls took some time to make a beaded bracelet and necklace with shared beads from the group....

While the yummy orange chicken and rice dish was cooking on the fire, we went back down to the beach for a LOVELY sunset!

After we were all full from dinner we got to hang out around the campfire singing songs and eating s'mores.  Ahhhh....this is the life!!!

The next morning Avery and I were up early enough to take a stroll on the beach before breakfast.
She thought it was amazing that we could get so close to the Blue Heron! :)

Breakfast was made on the fire as well!!!  I LOVED these pie-irons!!!!  The girls got the ingredients chopped and prepped then chose whatever they wanted to go inside.  Avery liked the egg, potato and cheese combo.  I enjoyed the pancake batter with sausage and syrup mixture.  YUM!!!

The girls even dug right in after breakfast and helped do the dishes and packing up!

What a great time for us girls!  Can't wait till next year!!!

Red Lions Fall Soccer

Avery loved Spring soccer so much she was anxious to get back into it after summer!  So she's playing Fall Soccer and we've just signed her up for another 7 weeks of indoor soccer!  :)  I'm so glad she's enjoying it!!!!

And surprisingly....loving playing goalie when she gets the chance!!!
Who would've thought???

She loves Coach Ian....he's so great with the girls!!!

And it is an added bonus that she gets to see her good friend Kaelee twice a week!!

Annalise doesn't mind going to games and practices.  She's made a friend, too!  Katie is another little soccer sister!!!  The two of them love playing ponies or doing WHATEVER to pass the time while their big sisters are playing soccer!

Back To School

It's hard to believe how fast these girls are growing up!

Avery loved her first day of second grade.
When she woke up today (the second day) the first words out of her mouth were:
"I can't wait to find out what happens to Gooniebird Green."
Her teacher had started a book about a girl named Gooniebird Green on her first day of second grade yesterday.  She was so excited to get back to school and find out what happened next.  Even I was curious after such an enthusiastic wake up!

And how is it possible that our little Annalisee is starting preschool????
Wow.

Her first day went well, too.  Auntie Robin came up and took her to the parent/child orientation yesterday.  Apparently she was quite the social butterfly and was quick to let Auntie Robin know that it was okay to leave her side and go talk with the other moms.  Little Miss Independent.

These two are so different. 

And here we go.....back to school!!!

Ferndale Street Festival

Every year Ferndale shuts down Main Street and puts on a Street Festival.
We were happy to be in town this year and met the McCormack's for some good 'ol Ferndale fun!

The kids had a blast.....

There was a petting zoo.  For some reason, Avery's chick was totally content while Annalise's was cheeping away the whole time she was holding it.  Hmmmm.

The girls decided they wanted HENNA tatoos.  So cute.

Avery and Jordan were the only brave souls to try out the climbing wall.....

Think these kids may have a future....

Great day with great friends!
Can't wait till next year! :)