Spring is so lovely here in Seattle. We are so grateful to see a little more sun, for some warmer days, and the hope that our best days of the year are just around the corner. We had a lovely and busy spring with Easter and the end of the school year starting to wrap up. So here is a roundup of all the things we did this spring!
We were on a lunch snack board kick for awhile. Nothing like the fresh and crisp flavors to welcome the nicer weather. I shared it with my two littles and it made for such an easy and yummy lunch together.
Snack board lunches were our thing during the pandemic and it is wild to think my two youngest are about the same age my older ones were during that time. I am a creature of habit so I think part of me brings back that spirit of those slow days at home through some of these rhythms. I often wonder how much the pandemic shaped me as a mother. I so wish I would have journaled more during that time to look back on but it felt like survival.
The bunny ears came out and they are always so much fun. I have quite a collection now and I just love some of the unique ones. I check back at Target every year in case they come out with some fun ones. Some of these are also from Dollarama when I was in Canada one spring. I wish I could go there every holiday season because they have some really cute and unique stuff.
She was so cute painting like a big kid...until she decided to taste the paint!!!
Going through my Easter egg haul - I continue to try to stick to my no junk Easter egg fillers. I planned ahead better this year and went through their restaurant backpacks to see what needed to be replenished. I got these favorite little cars and some squishies. The kids were excited for some new toys but after a week of playing they went into their restaurant backpacks. I also had some chocolate coins and pez in my backstock. It felt good to use what I have and buy things that we actually needed.
I like to create a little fun surprise on our Easter dinner table. This year I made these bunny treat crackers. I used toilet paper rolls and filled them with candy then wrapped them with white paper. I used small clear hair ties to close off each end. Then I taped on some bunny ears, drew a face, and finished them off with a bow. They turned out so cute and my kids loved them!
Here is what each of the kids got in their Easter baskets. The Easter bunny planned a little better this year as well and made sure to not overdue it! My two youngest got a few things the older two already have - a mini squismhmallow, quick dry towel, and their own bandage tin. Everyone got a craft or activity - legos, wood trains to paint, and new watercolors. Boys got books and girls got some backstock items that I was saving for gifts.
4 year old boy
8 year old boy
6 year old girl
Almost 2 year old girl (I have always kept things minimal for the babies who don't know the difference. I have even filled their baskets with stuffies they already have! Soon enough they will get all the things so I try to hold off if I can!)
Our youngest is starting to join in on some of the big kids activities and it is so fun to see them all play together.
My favorite PF Chang's inspired lettuce wraps and green onion noodles.
She's all ready to go get the kids from the bus stop!
Some sweet spring crafts.
I added chocolate eggs and sprinkles to store bought sugar cookie dough. It was a hit!
They all wanted to sit in the cart at Costco!
I love seeing our son learn and hang with Brent. He loves to help fix and build. And Brent is forever finding free or screaming deals on toys to fix up with the kids.
She is starting to catch up with her brother on the dirt bike!
Dress up time with my little astronaut and princess. It has been truly a wonderful year spending time with these two while the older ones were at school. I am so grateful that we got to have this time together and that we have one more year until kindergarten. I thought I was going to get so much more done at home this year. That ended up not being the case. Instead I learned to let that stuff go and just enjoy my kids while they are little. I am so grateful to sort of have a second chance with these two but with the perspective I have gained from the older ones.
I made some cilantro lime rice with a bag of Ben's white rice. I just added some dried cilantro, a few drops of lime juice, and salt. It was delicious and so easy!
Blooms from the yard showing signs of spring. The camellias are always the first to bloom and bring me so much joy. Spring is coming.
Lunch snack board with a side of leftover chicken nuggets!
We went to Easter service at church on Saturday night which proved to be so nice in having a slow Easter Sunday at home. We also got in this family picture which was a blessing as it ended up being rainy and wet on Sunday. Baby girl needed a picture of the home she was born at for her baby book and I am so happy we got such a sweet photo with everyone dressed up.
My little Easter gang.
She finally has started "cheesing" for the camera and it is the cutest thing ever!!!
I mean...
Sometimes I look at my girls and how free spirited they are, confident, happy, and beautiful. I want to be like them when I grow up. I hope they always channel this spirit.
Making them close their eyes before seeing their Easter baskets is the best!!!
So happy.
We had to egg hunt inside due to the rain but still plenty of fun nonetheless. For an aspiring minimalist I do admit I struggle with the Easter baskets. They have monogrammed Pottery Barn baskets for their Easter baskets and cute fabric type baskets for the hunt. They are ridiculous to store but I love them so much. We all have our vices I guess.
My Easter dinner table setting was a DELIGHT this year. It was so much fun to put together. We had a bunch of extra flowers my mom had brought the last time she visited. I used dishes I had, got out my fancy gold silverware, my blue and white table runner continues to serve me well every birthday or holiday, and this adorable $3 bunny plate I found at Target took it all over the top.
The mix of colors and patterns all came together in a glorious cheerful way.
And then of course I needed pictures with the food. More color and dimension!
I told her to pretend to set the table for a picture. She said, "I'm being a mom!" Oh, my heart.
Doing our Easter crafts and legos. Having an activity to do always helps break up these holiday days at home.
Our holiday meal traditions usually include a pork tenderloin roast, Beecher's mac and cheese, a bag salad, rolls, and deviled eggs if I have the time. I also will sometimes include mashed potatoes. It is pretty much all the things Brent and I like and I love that we can make our own traditions of what these meals consist of.
And we always get a Marie Callender's chocolate pie for dessert. Easy and light when we are already stuffed. While I love yummy homemade food, I have also learned a present and not stressed out mom and wife is a real gift to us all. I have streamlined it all over the years to a manageable but still special routine.
Back to the everyday...baking cookies with these two.
The cutest vintage thrift store dress that is now fitting like a shirt. I will get as many wears out of this as I can.
We had a very long and complicated journey with strep throat this year. On one of our many trips to the Target pharmacy, I let her pick something out as we waited for her medication to be filled.
Spring colored m&m cookies.
The occasional sunny day called for some water table fun.
Over spring break we filled our time with some of our favorite activities - cookie decorating kits from our grocery store bakery. I didn't like the frosting colors they offered this time so I made my own with cans of white frosting.
Slow pj mornings are my favorite.
The first few days of spring break were rainy so we pulled up some of our pandemic favorite kid workouts. They love the floor is lava and a spiderman workout.
This guy turned four and we had our night before birthday tradition of photo, cuddle in bed, and I tell them the story of the day they were born. It is inspired by that episode of Gilmore Girls when Lorelai goes into Rory's room in the middle of the night to tell her her labor story. It is quite humorous and always makes me laugh. But it has become a sweet tradition that we all look forward to.
We did an Easter craft kit that I love and buy every couple years when we use up all the supplies.
Here is our beloved Beecher's mac and cheese. I hear it is becoming more nationwide at Costco. If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend. You can see how they make it at Pike Place Market at their flagship store. It is truly the best mac and cheese I have ever had. We make a double batch when the kids ask for it for their birthday meal.
My Easter occasions bin.
Also on our spring break list was to have an Easter egg snack lunch. We all love this little tradition.
As Easter approaches I just save two egg cartons and cut them in half for each kid.
Flowers picked by the littles.
Working on our cardboard fire trucks together for the fire engine birthday party.
A cozy spring break movie afternoon watching Charlotte's Web. Always laundry, toys on the floor, popcorn, and a little one who isn't entertained by TV yet.
Then we had our grocery pick up and playground morning. Thankfully the sun finally came out to end our spring break.
We love this new park. It is open but still with some trees. It is a favorite.
Another trip to the Target pharmacy. I limited her I'm sick prize to princess bandaids. She didn't mind.
They told me to take a picture of their Mickey Mouse train track.
A fun Easter egg hunt with my two littles. It was so special and fun that I could give my time and attention to just the two of them for this little event.
An Easter art piece surprise.
Here are the kid's finished Easter baskets. A few more little things got added.
Painting their wooden trains with acrylic paint pens. We love these pens. It is like paint but less clean up.
Our Easter breakfast. We love these cinnamon roll bunnies!
Grass cutting season has begun.
Perhaps this is not new but I had the genius idea of storing plastic eggs open so they could nest in each other. This saved me a ton of space in our spring storage bin.
Writing in my holiday journal about what we did for Easter (things that worked and didn't) so that it is easy to refer back to next year.
I also started a notebook for each kid. My goal is to take all their milestones I have documented on my private Instagram (birthday notes, first lost tooth, etc) and move it to these notebooks. I love the pretty floral ones and found the insect ones for the boys that were just slightly less girly.
Dandelion season has begun. We find many on our walks to and from the bus stop.
My little garden helper. I love how she has been sticking out her tummy for photos.
The grass is starting to grow around our flagstone path and is looking more intentional. As it settles, you will never know we took the lazy route of just laying them on the dirt! As The Nester says, "it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful."
The way she grabs my hair, pulls on my dress, and is all about mommy. One day these little things will pass. How special that I at least have this photo of a memory.
Continuing on my outerwear journey. This short trench coat has been another fun addition to elevate my everyday dresses.
An enjoyable early Saturday morning coffee date with some of my mom group friends. I am learning to vocalize my social needs - I much prefer day outings over nights and don't care for playground playdates if we can hang at a house instead. My need for rest and intentional conversations outweighs filling my schedule with social outings that leave me exhausted or unsatisfied. And to my delight, I find that there are other women that feel the same way. Plus knowing my limits can allow me to also be a better friend. It takes time and reflection, but is so worth it in finding true and authentic relationships.
Rhododendrons starting to pop up.
I love these cherry laurels that I just discovered. They are on my list to buy next spring for our yard. They are evergreen and have the prettiest white blooms.
When walking home from the school bus feels like you are in a botanical garden.
Brent had a week long business trip to Florida. He was so sweet to send us treats again.
He got us an Edible Arrangement with cupcakes. They were quite delicious and helped me through a week of solo parenting.
This oversized jean jacket has quickly become my go to. I wear it over everything. Leggings and dresses. Another easy way to make my basic mom outfit look a little more pulled together.
And while Brent was gone a mouse got caught in our mouse trap. I had to bag it up, stick it in a box, and wait for Brent to deal with it when he got home. It was the most disgusting thing ever. I screamed as I did it. Feeling it's squishy body through the bag. Brent was like, "why didn't you use a shovel?"
These sweet ones.
I am still going strong on my bike for exercise. I even started going longer during school breaks and am getting off 5-10 mins early to lift weights. It is working for this current season so I am keeping at it until something changes.
Jean jacket over my dress.
And a fun maxi dress I found that will be perfect for summer.
Warm enough for lunches outside and we are enjoying the sunshine.
This guy finally got to play on a soccer team and he was so happy. "My dream of being on a team is finally coming true." I have been telling him for a couple of years that we needed to wait until I wasn't pregnant or had a baby. We ended up finding a spring league that was six weeks of Saturday games and no practices. This meant I didn't have to try to drag all four kids to soccer practice after school during peak dinner time. It ended up being perfect for our family.
Our soccer watching line up.
The field we had games at was stunning. A true pacific northwest showstopper. Look at those trees!
How quickly I channeled my inner soccer mom. Yelling from the sidelines and just being so proud of my son. I can see the draw for sure.
We got some free professional photos at the egg hunt event we went to. How sweet are these two?!
More jacket chronicles. The photos help me style outfits to remember later. Flared leggings...
And wide leg sweats...
This sweet girl loves her dollies. We have Cabbage Patch dolls that were mine as a child plus all the nostalgic vintage outfits. I have also saved a few favorite baby clothes of theirs.
Getting into a better rhythm with these little ones. All the sensory play is so good for them and gives me a few minutes to myself.
Our Cinco De Mayo fiesta.
Rhododendrons peeking out just a little bit more.
Feeding her babies.
We have a jasmine bush down at the end of our storm water pond that is hard to see. I often miss their peak bloom but caught it this time. I cut as much as I could reach to bring into the house and it was glorious. They smell so good.
A sweet tea themed brunch at my mom's group. I love me a cucumber sandwich.
I planted quite a few things this spring that has meant lots more watering than usual. My littles love to help out.
I now buy some spring flower pots to put on all our bird baths. It adds some color and usually lasts through the summer.
I am forever trying to cut down on my dinner prep time. I started roasting the entire bag of frozen vegetables all at once and then rewarm it throughout the week (I roast it with olive oil, salt, and pepper). It has been so helpful.
Same dress, different color. I was surprised I liked it even more in red.
The kids love to get measured on our canvas growth chart (it's only $10!). I even measured myself recently so the kids can see how close they are getting to me.
Two of my friend's babies turned one and I got them these books that we love. Twirl and Build are beautifully illustrated and have such a sweet message.
Also this star tinsel is making my gift wrap look especially fun. I loved that the ribbon alongside the beautiful cover was enough.
Rhododendrons in full bloom. I love the one crazy branch reaching for the sky.
And now my jean jacket with shorts.
Mother's Day was lovely this year. We did our usual tradition of hitting up a local flower nursery. We made this sweet stepping stone together as my gift (full post on that coming soon).
And I pretty much don't want to cook or do dishes that day so here are all the things we ate!
Bagel sandwich and coffee for breakfast.
Taco truck for lunch and then ice cream.
Teriyaki for me and McDonald's for the kids for dinner. We were on a Despicable Me marathon.
A fun morning outside at the nursery and then feeding the kids yummy food all day. They are pretty happy about it all!
Cute bow wearing girls one day after school.
My friend Caley offers free fun seasonal wallpaper for your computer or phone. Her recent flower pattern was perfect for spring. It gives off a weird screen glow in these photos but it so cheery and happy in real live.
And on my phone.
A recent creation. My oldest continues to amaze me with what he comes up with.
Mixing again. Probably cookies. I got a bigger KitchenAid mixer last year for my birthday and it is so handy for our big family. Plus it is white and so pretty.
Twirling princess girls.
A happy mess. It is always so sweet when they all happily play together.
Brent and I got in a day date while my parents were here for a visit. We started out walking around downtown Bothell.
We finally tried T55 Patisserie and it was incredible. All of their baked goods are absolutely gorgeous. But my absolute favorite was the savory Black Truffle Goat Cheese Foccacia.
Then lunch at Poquitos.
We are back to sharing food when we go out to eat. Especially on these day dates or overnights where we eat out multiple meals. It is nice to not be stuffed and save a little money. I used to be so self conscious about it back in our newlywed years. It doesn't seem to bother the servers, at least where we live now.
After a trip to the outlets, we stopped in Snohomish for more nachos with a view this time.
We especially love Todo Mexico for their riverfront patio.
More soccer chronicles - we are now a wagon family I guess. Without the need for a stroller every time we go out, this seemed like the natural next step in this parenting gig. We really like the one we got and it came in handy for soccer games. But I will forever love the stroller for it's ease and strapping children in.
We also love our giant outdoor blanket. It is big enough for us all and the patterns are so pretty.
We found and ate at the most incredible barbecue restaurant - Carolina Smoke Barbecue and Catering. It took us back to our Virginia days. The mac and cheese was amazing.
Our beloved $5 watering can from the farmer's market party is now holding seasonal flowers on display on the porch. I love it so much.
This not quite a tween is starting to look and act like one. She has really grown up this past year and I just adore her.
Some random biscuit Brent brought home for me from a food truck. I wasn't mad.
And the most delightful sparkling lemonade with boba at MomCo. What a treat!
I've had some sort of silhouette art of the kids on my to make list for awhile and finally did it. I really wanted to make it while our youngest still had her baby features. I love how it turned out. Those sweet little faces!
It was pretty complicated to make and I am far from able to give a good tutorial. But I took a picture of their profile and then painted the silhouette in using Photoshop.
Seeing these two build their own sweet little relationship has been so special. I am so glad they are buddies.
When they offer to pull weeds for me. Yes, please!
I also purchased one new crossbody bum bag. It is a dupe for the Clare V. bag which is beautiful but pricey. I love that it is a little dressier than wearing a fanny pack crossbody. It is also big enough to hold my wallet, phone, one diaper, and some wipes. It has quickly become a hands free go to.
Our son was asked to be a ring bearer for my sister in law's wedding. She sent him the cutest secret agent box asking him to be in the wedding.
We got the cutest new splash pad this year but sadly it didn't last longer than a month. That is what I get for insisting on cute ones. I have learned my lesson and got us a more practical less beautiful replacement. But while it lasted, we definitely enjoyed it.
Flowers picked by babies.
Those cheeks. That face. The bow.
A pretty pattern moment.
The boss of the house.
Every year the things that pop up in our garden vary depending on how the weather is. I would say we had a warmer spring this year and it has been so fun to see what blooms.
A lovely spring we had. Summer we are ready for you!
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