The Evergreen State Fair - 2011

 Mark's mom was in town and took us to the fair.  We had a great time. 

 Lulu got to ride a pony.  She was so excited about this. 

 Faces were painted!

 Last year Mark was so excited to try some Cajun Alligator on a stick.  But they were sold out.  So all year he's been looking forward to it and this time he got some!!

 The rides were just as fun as they were last year.  This roller coster was Lulu's favorite ride.  Levi will hopefully be big enough next year.

 We saw all the animals.

 The kids got to ride on some toy tractors.  It was like tractor bumper cars.

This was a ride Levi was big enough for. 

 Lulu wanted to go on the roller coaster again......and I had to join in on the fun too!!

 After all the rides and attractions we were hungry.  So we got some fun fair food. 

 After our dinner we walked around and looked at all the displays and contests. 



Hot Air Balloons

 This past Saturday Mark and I woke up around 5am!  We wanted to take Lulu and Levi to see some hot air balloons and we needed to get there around sunrise for their launch.  I called and ordered some maple bars from our favorite bakery and we quickly swung in and picked those up, then headed out to Snohomish to Harvey Field.  Well, it was very foggy. So foggy they canceled the morning balloon flights.  We even waited in hopes the fog would clear and by 8:30am we headed home.   

 So, we decided to try again later that evening for the evening launch. This time we took sub sandwiches and had a picnic. The really great thing was that there was no fog!  Just wind. :( So the balloon launch was on hold.  So while we were waiting for the wind to die down we got to watch skydivers jump out of their planes and land in the same field we were having our picnic.  We also could see the planes take off and land too. 

 I don't know if you can see them but behind Levi's silly grin are some skydivers getting ready to land.

 Finally we saw the big balloon vans pull out onto the field and they quickly started setting up and filling the balloons.  We walked/ran out there a good half mile so we could get a closer look.   

 We headed back to the van after the balloons were launched and heading off.  We decided it would be fun to chase them and see if we could see them land.  We did find them and were about no lie 2 min too late to see them actually land.  It was really neat to see the entire process. 

Peek-A-Boo

Ila May was playing Peek-A-Boo with Mark last night. 

And here she is just a bit later fast asleep with her thumb in her mouth.

My Babies

Lulu is almost 4.5 years old.  Ila is 3.5 months old and Levi has a couple weeks until he turns 2! 

Lulu loves anything pink and sparkly.  Notice she's in her ballet outfit.  She dances and sings around our house all day long.  She just memorized the first verse to Amazing Grace.  She can't say L or R yet so she sounds like a little New Yorker.  Lulu likes things in their place and loves order.  She takes initiative and does things without asking.  She loves to be in charge.  I know if I ask her to do something it will get done and it will be better then I would have done it.  

 Ila loves to roll from her tummy to her back.  She sucks her thumb when she's tired and falls asleep with it in her mouth.  SO CUTE!  She's my first thumb sucker.  She loves to "talk" to us.  Anyone can hold her, she's very social and content. She sleeps the entire night.  I just put her in her bassinet when it nap time or bed time and she plays for a bit then falls right to sleep.  She started drooling just a bit, so I'm expecting a tooth in the next few months.  Lulu and Levi got their first at 4 months.  So we will see.  

  Levi is my boy.  He loves cars, truck and trains.  He loves to pretend he's driving a car and holds the pretend steering wheel out in front of him while making the motor sound.  His motor sound is really good, he can even make it sound like he's down shifted.  It's so funny.  Levi is funny, he loves to say hi to people in stores and is not shy at all.  Even though he's outgoing he's very mellow and goes with the flow.  The other day he just laid down in the living room and took a little nap.  When he's hungry he will eat a ton, and when he's not he eats like a bird.  He loves to listen to Lulu and let's her boss him around.  He just loves it!  He loves Lulu and will do what she tells him.  He loves Ila and is always asking to hold her.   



Grapes

 This week we are learning about grapes! Yesterday morning we woke up and I read a text from my mom that said "look on your front porch." She does this often, and the kids are always excited to see what she has dropped off.  Yesterday she dropped off this tray full of different types of grapes.  The tray was full.  Not anymore! She also printed a picture of grapes and all sorts of fun facts about grapes for us to talk about.  My mom will be helping us with homeschooling and have what she calls "Grandma Class."  She also is going to pick a theme for us to learn about and this week it's grapes.

 After my mom got off work she came over to the house and we all plied into the van to visit our local winery.  One of the fun facts was that grapes grow on a vine.  "What is a vine" was the question that came next.  Because we live in an area that has everything under the sun, we were able to go walk through a vineyard and actually see what a grape vine looks like not even 10min from our house.

  Lulu and Levi at Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery.

Did you know that grapes are 80% water? 

Date Night!

 Last night Mark and I dropped Lulu and Levi off at my parents to spend the night. We had a special date planned. 

 We went home and had a wonderful steak dinner out on our patio with Ila as our entertainment.  Earlier during the day the kids and I walked to the grocery store.  I had the butcher cut me two beautiful Porter house steaks (we ended up splitting one).  We opened up a bottle of wine and enjoyed the backyard.  It was a nice warm evening too.

Back to School

 My mom had to go back to work/school.  Summer break for her is over.  We had 5 weeks of fun, fun, fun!  She's the attendance secretary up at my old high school.  So yesterday we went up to her school and had lunch on the football field.

 I used to run track on this very track.  Lulu and Levi had a blast running all around.  They were tired and took great naps!

Miss you Mother!  Good thing we live only 7 blocks from you.

Three Months

 Today Ila May is 3 months old.  She has been such a joy and it really feels like she has been here much longer then 3 months.  A few days ago she turned over from her tummy to her back while she was in bed.  She did this twice in the same day.  She is very vocal.  Coos and talks to us so much.  She loves to smile at people and lights up when her brother and sister talk with her.  I just started putting her on the floor to "play" a bit.  She loves this. Something that we are so excited about and thanking God for is that her eye has completely cleared up and healed.  She had a blocked tear duct just like Levi did. Hers was just as bad as his and her eye was starting to get infections.  We have been praying that it would heal and clear up.  It's been clear and draining like it should for the past 6 days!!