Happy Birthday, Alex!

On Wednesday my sweet girl, Alex turned six years old. She had a lovely birthday with about 18 of her closest friends. HA! Here are a few images from the day.



   

These little suckers are NOT easy to make. It was a challenge trying to get those marshmallow petals to stick to the lollipop so I finally gave up. Instead I just stuck the remaining lollipops in the cupcakes with a few marshmallows strewn about the platter. I never frosted cupcakes so fast in my life. It got a bit messy, but in the end it all turned out great.  



Seabrook II

Seabrook, WA. Such a lovely escape, especially when we need to take deep breaths of fresh ocean air and the kids need to roam free. On one of the nights, Jon and the girls were outside at the fire pit roasting marshmallows and getting to know the other vacationers in the area. I felt like I was being anti-social sitting there alone in the cabin. I was experiencing allergies whenever the front door opened and feared going out would only exasperate whatever it was tickling my nose. Jon however was right at home chatting away with strangers who just so happened to live in our neighborhood in Seattle.

 

We arrived at our cabin confronted with a steep ladder that led the girls to the sleeping loft where there were two cozy beds and an old steamer trunk for which to store their clothes.



At times I felt the ladder was a bit too steep for the rascals.

Isn't it interesting how pictures reveal personalities? In the image above you see Alex front and center -- Alex is not shy. Then, in the background is my cautious, shy child, Sammy.

 

We love it so much here. We hope to come again this summer.

 

Family, Food and Flowers

I'm still gushing over Easter weekend. It was sunny. My tulips sprang to life. I didn't wear rain boots. Jon mowed the lawn. I pulled weeds from the flower bed. The girls rode their bikes. I sat on the front porch. We visited with family and friends. The girls rode their scooters. Sammy wore sandals. Alex played in a sleeveless dress. The girls were given too much candy. The girls ate gobs of candy. Me and Jon ate gobs of candy. It felt like spring. Here are a few images from our weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Alex pretending to reject a hug from big sissy. You should know that Alex is actually loving the attention.

The girls think the Easter Bunny hides baskets for them to find on Easter. Although this year, Alex said, "I like the Easter basket that YOU hid for me." I think she and Sammy are catching on. Gulp.

 

 

 

 

Oven-Puffed Pancakes with Berries

This morning I awoke with Oven-Puffed Pancakes with Berries on my mind. I whipped up a batch speedy quick and then I was out the door for a little Sunday morning yoga.  

This morning yoga was hard. The entire class appeared exhausted only after the first 20 minutes, and this was a 90 minute class. The instructor challenged us to push ourselves and to repeat the same sequence over and over again for like a zillion times. The sweat poured off my brow, my nose and my chin. My arms quaked under my own weight, and to add insult to injury, I think balance all but abandoned me. I wobbled in Revolve Crescent and barely held on to Half Moon Pose. Many of these poses I've done with ease many a times, but not this morning. No way. That first 20 minutes had wiped me out. 

I took solace in knowing that once the 90 minutes was up, I would return home to a plate of puffy pancakes. Plus, today Jon and I celebrated our 11-year wedding anniversary. Can you believe it? 11-years.

And even though I came home looking haggard as hells, the beautiful Daffodils that Jon presented me with this morning put a smile on my face. I think I blushed a little -- or maybe that was just the sweat burning my cheeks. I'm not sure -- at this point it was all a blur.

I finally showered, dressed and dabbed a bit of make-up on my face and sat down to a sliver of puffed pancake. The little bit that I got was delicious.