Reminders

While eating out this past weekend, an elderly couple who'd been sitting across from us, came over and starting chatting with us as they were leaving the restaurant. Our kids had been entertaining them while they ate their dinner. They went on to tell us how they had six kids of their own, they asked about the ages of our kids, and then the gentleman said, "They really are what life is all about."

Yes they are.

First Grade Graduate!

Chloe had her last day of first grade today! She is growing up so fast! She is such a smart girl and really excels at reading (and socializing!).

First Day of First Grade, September 2009

Last Day of First Grade, June 2010

After school, with her teacher, Ms. Penton

Chloe chose to go the Mongolian Grill for her celebratory lunch and we invited Grandma DD along!

Pretty Baby

Not that I'm biased or anything, but Piper sure is adorable!

Luau

Our new ward had a Luau on Saturday evening. It was really crowded (not enough tables and chairs!), the food didn't quite go far enough, and it was so noisy and loud that we ended up taking off early because Piper was so overstimulated and freaking out. Big change from our Bellevue ward that had a really low activity level! I was too busy saving seats at a table and dealing with crying Piper while Justin was standing in the long food line, to take any pictures, but I did snap a couple in the parking lot on our way out:

Since my posts sounds super-complainy, I wanted to add that the food was good-- the scouts roasted a pig in the ground and the little bit I got to taste was delicious! And I made a tropical fruit salad that was yummy- I was supplied with the recipe and I'll most likely make it again sometime in the future. Here is the recipe:

1 pkg (4.6 oz) Vanilla Pudding (not instant) (Sugar Free pudding can be used)
1 pkg (4 oz) Tapioca Pudding
4 Tbsp Orange Juice Concentrate
2 Cans Mandarin Oranges (drained saving liquid)
2 Cans (20 oz) Pineapple Chunks (drained saving liquid)
2 bananas sliced

Combine fruits, draining liquid and saving. Measure liquid and add water to make 3 cups. In sauce pan, combine puddings and liquid. Stir in orange juice. Heat, stirring constantly until mixture boils and mix is thick and smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Pour over fruit. May be served warm or cold.

Do You Coupon?

We live in a high cost of living area on one income-- money can be tight. Over the past year we have dealt with a paycut (thanks economy!), health insurance premium increases with coverage decreases, loss of income from me no longer working-- and we added another kiddo to our family. Anyone who knows me, knows I'm a shopper by nature. But, I'm a shopper that loves a good deal, so I found a new way to continue my shopping "hobby." Last fall I started using coupons more and while I'm not nearly as skilled as some ladies I know, I am pretty good at getting things for really cheap or free... or better yet, getting money for "buying" items. It does take planning and prep work, but its worth it! I get most of my info from a few blogs and one online forum (there are tons more out there, these are just the ones I frequent). Check 'em out, you might get hooked too!

www.slickdeals.net/forums
http://www.totallytarget.com/
http://www.frugallivingnw.com/
http://www.thekrazycouponlady.com/
http://www.tightwadinutah.com/

Memorial Day

A few pictures from our afternoon of kite flying at Gas Works Park in Seattle. Not the best quality because they are from Justin's cell phone and the sun was so bright-- not complaining about the sunshine though!

(not flying a kite in this pic-- I was sitting with Piper, but I figured I'd include my smiling face in this post!)

Chloe with the Space Needle in the background

Piper looking adorable, as always. Don't you just want to eat her up?!

Rainy Day Aquarium Visit

One thing that we've enjoyed almost the entire time we've lived here in Washington is our membership to the Seattle Aquarium. Having a membership makes it easy to just pop in and stay for a little while instead of feeling like we need to "get our money's worth." This holiday weekend was a bit of a bummer, weatherwise. We decided to head down to the aquarium because it had been a couple months since we'd been. Traffic was terrible because of the Seattle Folk Life Festival going on and also the Pike Place Market Street Fair, but we figured that we'd be safe from the crowds down on the piers... boy were we wrong! We rounded the corner onto Alaskan Way and saw a gazillion taxi cabs and a huge cruise ship, the Norweigan Pearl, at the port. Uh-oh! What did this mean? That all the passengers on that ship had off loaded to see the sites of Seattle for the afternoon. The line for the aquarium was longer than I've ever seen-- it spanned about a quarter of a city block. Thank goodness for our membership and that special "members only" line that required no waiting! We didn't stay for long, only about an hour total, it was too crowded, but the kids were happy to be there after such a 'long' break!

A few pics from our rainy day escape:

Also worth noting is that this was Piper's first outing sitting in the stroller like a "big girl." I was afraid she'd be overstimulated or get stressed, but she seemed to enjoy the people watching!