Tulip Festival

We went to the Tulip Festival last Friday with Nana and Coco. Despite all the sunshine, it was actually cold. After having all kinds of fun with all the games, we were too frozen to actually make it out to the tulip fields. So...no pictures of actual flowers, but we were able to leave happy.

COW TRAIN! The kids love going on these rides!

The wooden shoe! Isn't Ronan cute?

I am such a sucker for cutout boards. But really, my bablies are little tulips.

I wanted to climb on this horse and go for a swing! Nora and Ronan loved it!

Clare smiled in the stroller the whole time we were there. She was also the only one that was warm.

Nana Visits

My mom spent her Spring Break with us this year. I didn't capture nearly enough pictures of her with the kids, but we all had a great visit. My sister, Eileen, also came to visit with her dog, Riley.

The kids always enjoy going to the airport to pick up family. They wait and wait until they see Nana and take off running for her.

Our Playground

And the swing set is finally complete. We moved it several times before deciding on the perfect spot and then filled in the space with wood chips. We are going to have so much fun this summer playing outside. Way to go Jeff, Dad of the Year!

The kids LOVE the swings. I have to make up all kinds of crazy names for each push I give them. I am so excited for summer.

Commonwealth Lake

I took the kids to Commonwealth Lake today so they could ride their bikes and look for baby ducks. We didn't find any chicks, but we still had a great time. If summer ever comes to Portland we will have to do this and finish with a picnic. Ronan had a great time and wanted to go around again. I had to convince him it was time to go home and have a snack. Even though the sun was out, it was only about 45 degrees and we had already been there for an hour.

Nora is the sprinter, riding as fast as she can until I ask her to stop and wait for us to catch up. Ronan is my slow and steady rider, keeping a nice comfortable pace.

The kids were so excited to see the ducks. As the ducks got closer I told the kids to take off. I'm actually scared of ducks, probably because I got bit by one when I was little. Yes, I really was bit by a duck.

Indoor Playground

It's been fun watching Clare start to play at the Indoor Playground. Ronan plays pretty independently there and looks forward to going on Thursday mornings. We're going to miss it this summer. Clare went on the pony for the first time and LOVED it! I think she thinks she's a big kid.

Ronan loves riding bikes. He will ride most of the time that we are there. His favorite bike is this radio flyer one, but there is another one that has a back seat for a passenger that he also likes to ride.

I've started pushing Clare around in this little car. She doesn't even acknowledge that I am involved at all. She likes me to chase Ronan around, and I'm happy to do it.

Nightly Walks

When the weather is nice, we like to go out for a quick walk before we put the kids to bed. We decided to load all three kids into the double stroller. Clare looked like a real kid, not a little baby! They are so cute in their matching pjs, strolling down 138th Ave.

Big Boy Ronan

Of all the things I have and will accomplish in my life, Potty Training Ronan will go down as one of my most proud. I can do ANYTHING now! One advantage to being sick and stuck in the house is that I was able (by some miracle) to potty train Ronan. He has been proudly wearing underwear since St. Patrick's Day and has really done a remarkable job.

Grammy Visits

Grammy came to our rescue once again! Jeff was busy with work at the beginning of April, and Grammy came to help us out and spend time with her three favorite children. Of course we didn't know that we'd be recovering from nasty colds and pink eye. And as a farewell gift we sent her home sick. Clare was a little hesitant of Kathy when she first saw her, but by the end of the day they were the best of friends. Clare had a great time snuggling Grammy, especially in the morning while I helped the other two get ready for the day.

Ronan had been looking forward to taking Grammy to his gymnastics class. He had wanted to show her the zip cord but it was closed that day and so he is already planning her next visit. Ronan read "Tip, Truck, Tip" a hundred times to Grammy and played basketball and rode bike outside. They had a great time together.

Nora always looks forward to Grammy's visits, especially for the days that they get to spend together downtown. They took the MAX downtown and had lunch, shopped for baby layettes and books.

I'm so lucky that Grammy comes to visit. I feel like I'm on vacation while she's here. She helps so much with the kids and even manages to cook some excellent dinners for us!

Fort

We can only handle being sick and trapped in our house for so many days. On one of these days (we've had so many of them this month) I ventured out for a quick trip to the toy store to get a fort kit. If we were going to lay around and watch movies, we should at least do it in style. The kit came with sticks in two different sizes and connector balls. It was really easy to build the structure and we just threw a sheet on as our finishing touch. We've since built many forts. Even Clare enjoyed being in the fort.

The kids moved their pillow pets and blankets into the fort so they could watch a show. I also let them have snack in there. We get excited about the small things in our house.

I was trying to get a picture of what the structure actually looked at. I should take a photography class.