Holiday Traditions

Annual Santa photos at the Tapps Island Clubhouse.  We are lucky to have friends that invite us to this special gathering.  Some great perks: no lines for Santa and lots of treats!

Annual cookie baking.  The kids were really into decorating the sugar cookies this year.

Kennedy was into running around the house and up and down the stairs.  🤣

Annual Christmas light viewing pic!  Jammies on and blankets in hand.  One of my favorite traditions.

The weekend before Christmas was my good friend Michelle's 40th birthday, so Lance and I got to have a date night!  We all met at Ghostfish Brewery for some gluten free food and drinks (SO GOOD) and then hit up Ninja Escape in Freemont.  I've never done an escape room before, it was so much fun!  And WE WON!!  With 3 minutes to spare.  😊

We also met up with the Vehs before Christmas for dinner and The Reaching Christmas Concert.  Another annual tradition.  The Reaching is my friend Mark's band.  Elisabeth and I have been following them for 15 years!  We truly are "Reaching groupies."

I love all of our holiday traditions.  Now we are ready for Christmas!

Rylee's holiday events

 Rylee just had her school 4th and 5th grade concert.  They are learning the recorder this year in music class and have only learned a few notes, but it was enough to play Jingle Bells!  It was such a fun concert and the kids did so well.  

 Saturday was a busy day for Rylee and the BLE Viking choir.  First, they participated in the Santa parade in downtown Sumner.  The weather cleared up just in time for them to march down the street.  The girls were so cute!  Rylee had so much fun.

 Later that evening the choir performed at the tree lighting ceremony at the Bonney Lake fire station.  They did such a great job!  All these holiday events make me so excited for Christmas!

Proud Momma

Carson recently received a "Pride Card" at school.  He was nominated by his teacher for "pushing his brain without being asked."  I am such a proud momma!  💗

He was also recently referred to the highly capable program by his teacher.  He has been excelling in all areas at school and she thought this program might be a good fit for him.  We've filled out the application, and testing is next.  More to come on this!

40th Birthday Surprise Weekend

Yes, I'm officially 40 now.  OMG. 

I celebrated this milestone with an amazing weekend in Portland.  I thought it was just going to be me and my 2 besties (and husbands),  but I was surprised with 3 of my other closest friends (and sister too)!   My friends Tania and Michelle planned the weekend with some help from Lance.  

Lance and I arrived in Portland early Friday for some shopping and lunch.  Michelle and her husband Adam met us at the hotel for "wine hour" and then we all got dinner together.  After dinner, our friend Tania and her husband Jason arrived and they tried to stall me by wanting to hang out it the hotel lobby.  Shortly after getting a drink my friend Wendy from Boston arrived to surprise me.  I was definitely not expecting her to travel across the country!  Needless to say I was very happy to see her.  Best present ever!!

We went to Kells for some beers and Irish music.  We made our own dance floor and I even got a free T-shirt!  Such a fun night.

The next morning while we were having breakfast my friend Elisabeth and her husband Sherman showed up!  Another surprise!  After breakfast the girls decided to go shopping in downtown Portland.  We started off at TJ Maxx.  I was looking at Christmas decorations and happened to look towards the front of the store.  Low and behold my sister and Jon were there!  The surprises just kept coming!  So fun!!

While the girls were shopping the guys made a scooter gang and went to play video games.

We all met up for lunch at Punch Bowl Social.  The service was horrible but the games and company were great!

Tania booked a huge room and decorated it in birthday decor.  It was all so cute and festive!

Before we went to dinner we hung out in the hotels game room and I opened presents.  My friends know me so well.  Some of the gifts I got were coffee mugs, a wine glass, a tank top, a bracelet, champagne, and an awesome scrapbook with tons of memories of us girls. 💗💜

My favorite pic.  The elevator selfie.  🤣

We got dressed up and went to dinner at Charthouse.  The view was gorgeous and the food and drinks were delicious! 

After dinner we went to a night club for some dancing.  We stayed just long enough to hear some of our favorite songs, then we headed back to the hotel to hang out in Tania's big room.  Such a fun birthday night!

 I left Portland on Sunday feeling loved and so very thankful for these wonderful people in my life.  I am so grateful that they all took time out of their busy lives, got sitters, and even flew across the country just for me.  My heart is so full.  Funny, but these 5 women were my bridesmaids 11 years ago.  Its pretty amazing that after all these years they are still my very best friends.  I guess I know how to pick them.  😉 

 While we were away on a kid free mini vacay, my brother in law Peter came over to watch the kids.  We can always count on him to find fun adventures.  He took the kids on a couple hikes/ nature walks in our area that we had no idea were there!  They loved it!