Fun with Nana at Gene Coulon Park

Nana was here last weekend...originally she was coming to help when Gretchen had surgery but Gretchen had a cough and was not able to have surgery so we just spent a fun weekend together. On Saturday we went to Coulon Beach on Lake Washington in Renton. We started first with lunch at Kidd Valley which was so yummy and then we went to play. They have a great play structure there and the big girls played and ran around and went on the slides and had a fun time. Nana and Gretchen mostly stood in the sun and watched. After that fun we went to throw rocks in the water which was a big hit. There were lots of ducks swimming around and you could see the Olympic Mountains in the distance. It was a beautiful sunny day (a bit cold by the lake but still so pretty). Tad had lots of chances to take pictures with our new camera and they turned out so great.

A New Camera

For an early Valentine's gift we got a new camera. We love it! I haven't actually used it very much, but Tad is sure enjoying it and I am enjoying the pictures he has taken so I think it is a perfect gift. Below are some pictures of the girls he has taken.

Clare

Our Clare is growing so fast. She loves to play with girly things and help in the kitchen. Here she is enjoying posing for the camera.

Molly

Here is our busy busy Molly. The good news is she provides lots of photo opportunities because she is always doing something new. Sometimes she has to just sit on the chair for me to keep my sanity. The first picture is her just after being told to sit on and not jump off the chair. The middle one is her playing her style of Yahtzee and this last picture is on the "soft" filter so her hair is so wispy and pretty.

Gretchen

Sleeping with mom is, of course, one of Gretchen's favorites. It is certainly one of mine too. What a little love she is.

Chloe playing volleyball in Yakima

Last weekend we went to Yakima to see everyone and watch Chloe play in a volleyball tournament. It was very fun to see how much she has improved in a year and to get to cheer her on.

Playing at home

With Tad off from work for most of January we had lots of time to play at home. Here are some of my favorite pictures.

Little Gym Progress Night

Last week was Progress Night at Little Gym so families got to go in the gym to watch and participate in class. It was so fun to see all Clare has learned. As you can see they are beginning to teach more difficult tricks and really encourage some risks. This is great for Clare and really builds her confidence. Molly had a great time, too. She ran and jumped and played. Gretchen watched from her car seat quietly, but I know it wont be long until she is running and jumping around the gym as well.

New Years Eve

We spent New Years in Spokane at the Brooks' house. All of us stayed up until midnight....we were all tired the next day, too. Mostly the kids played and watched movies, but they all gathered on the couch to watch the ball drop in Times Square. Here is the best photo we could get of all of them in their jammies.

New Year - New Template II

Changes........

I have changed the opening picture on our blog. We have yet to get a very good picture of the 5 of us, so I thought one of the girls would be sufficient for now. (I know that it beats the one of us at Disneyland with me pregnant.) Of course, getting all 3 of them to look at the camera at the same time can be a challenge, so this is the best one I have of 2010. i do think it says a little something about each of them. Clare loves to pose and look pretty.....Molly doesn't sit still and is always up to something....and Gretchen is a cutie pie fascinated by both of them. Thankfully Gretchen changes so often I think we will change this picture again soon.

Last year at this time I changed our blog template and this year I have decided to do the same. It spices things up a bit without going too crazy and is a fun little change. Hopefully you like the new template....if not, don't worry....it's already February so only 10 more months to go on this one!