Pieper's 8th Birthday!

Pieper had a super fun birthday this year!  

Since it was the big EIGHT, we had to make her feel extra special!

She woke up to the traditional donut breakfast which is a family favorite.

 And since her birthday fell on a Sunday, we had the whole afternoon to celebrate.  Both grandparents came over for dinner and cake.

 This birthday girl felt pretty darn special.

And then... a week later, we had a CARNIVAL party!

 All the cute, cute girls!

 We had games, face-painting, donuts-on-a-string, bubble-gum chewing contest and lots of laughing.

 This girl LOVES to be the life of the party!

And I'd say she certainly had her share of celebrating!  It really is GREAT to be EIGHT!

Rainier to Ruston

Rainier to Ruston is probably hands-down, my favorite race.  It's laid-back feel, the beautiful trails, the fun people and the only one-day commitment.  We had another awesome team running together this year.  Mostly women from the ward and Krista, my long-time friend.  A few of us ran three legs which made this run so much more challenging, yet feeling accomplished at the end.

 I was lucky to run the first leg of this race.  5 miles, uphill with some rolling hills and an average 9:00 pace.  Felt good to rock a good time!

 I also ran another leg in the middle of the race which was 3.5 miles, flat and again, did an average 9:00 pace.  We were leap-frogging a military team of guys and we were determined to not let them beat us.  The challenge kept us very motivated to keep passing them.

This is leg 12 of the race- the final stretch.  I felt guilty I got to start AND finish the race, but it was oh so fun.  4.5 miles along the harbor, 9:40 pace.  Here I am finishing the race with our military friends.

 It was a great day!

 And you can't beat the view at the finish!

First Gymnastics Meet

 The girls took part of the very first gymnastics meet over the weekend.  They did so well and were so fun to watch!  We are so proud of all their hard work and accomplishments.

Here they are lined up for their introductions.  I love the discipline and precision of gymnastics.

 Pieper on her bar routine.  Look at that determination!

 This girl is strong, I tell ya.

 Kennedy during her bar routine.  Kennedy has a ton of will and determination.  She is one hard-worker!

 Pieper placed 4th overall.  So exciting!

 Kennedy placed 8th overall!

 We love watching these two learn and grow not only in gymnastics, but also in their relationship as sisters.  They encourage each other, help each other and have never been envious of one another's accomplishments.  We're excited to see where this journey takes them.

Keep up the good work, girls!

Weekend in Spokane

Jake had a Respiratory Therapist convention in Spokane the end of spring break, so we decided to let the girls miss two additional days of school and we tagged along.  I'm so glad we did.  We had a great time!

Since Jake was busy with his conference during most of the days, the kids and I got to explore the city and have so fun.  First stop, the Riverfront park!

The girls all thought it was great fun sitting on their own letter.

And they LOVED this giant Radio Flyer wagon with the big slide.  Especially Crew.  He was in constant motion going up and down that thing.

We spent time playing at the playground and walking around the park discovering a cool suspension bridge and admiring the waterfalls.  They were good troopers with all the walking we did.

Later, after Jake was done, we came back and took the gondola ride.  It was short, but the kids loved riding over the river.

We had such beautiful weather.  It was perfect.

The next day, we set out for Manito Park on a recommendation from a friend.  The girls LOVED running through Duncan gardens- they felt just like princesses!  I would love to go back here when everything is in bloom- it would be gorgeous!

We also explored the Japanese Gardens and watched all the Koi fish.

We spent lots of time swimming in the pool, relaxing in the room and just being together as a family.  It was nice to get away from all the distractions of home and just have time together.  And the girls thought it was the.best.thing.ever.

February + March (According to the Cell Phone)

 Seahawks won the Super Bowl so we partied like rock stars for a few days.  Kennedy was SUPER lucky and got to skip school to attend the parade in Seattle with uncle Ryan.  What a LUCKY girl!

   We spend two nights a week down here.  The girls are loving junior team and are really doing well.  It's exciting seeing their growth.

 We set a family goal to save enough money for a trip to Disneyland in the fall.  So to help encourage the girls, we made their very own savings jars for a little extra motivation.

 We had lots and lots of playdates.

 And a crazy warm day thrown in to entice us with spring.

 Followed, of course, by a unusually cold and blustery, snowy day the very next day.

 Crew and I took a few walks along the trail while he spent most his time throwing rocks and climbing up them.

 

Sometimes we'd take along sister.

 Crew still loves his sweet friend, Ivy.

 And, being a typical boy, likes to show off for her.

 We took the girls to their very first college gymnastics meet at the University of Washington.  It was way fun and inspiring.

 The girls are taking this money-earning serious and like to spend time with dad at the shop working.  Pieper proved to be quite the work-horse.

 Jake and I got to sneak away for a night to celebrate his 35th birthday.  We had an amazing dinner at Daniel's Broiler with a night at the Marriott in downtown Bellevue.  So.Much.Fun.

 Nothing says happy more than a leisurely morning followed by a yummy breakfast you don't have to share with your kids.

 The girls broke out their bikes from winter hibernation.

 And we spent more time on the street hanging out with our friends.

 There you have it.  The winter was good to us.  Busy and good.