Band Concert & Talent Show

Ashley had her last Band concert of the year on June 2nd. We were so proud of her, most especially for all of her hard work and dedication all year, getting up early three days a week and going to Jazz Band practice. They sounded great and they all looked like they had a great time, too.

Ashley is in the front row, near the center. (You can’t really see her though, ‘cause she’s behind someone else.) She was even privileged enough to be the one to tune the Jazz Band this time. :)
It was really cute, they all wore aviator sunglasses while they played Mission Impossible. Below is a little video clip from the performance.

The day after the band concert, Lauren had her talent show at school. She sang part of the song Crazier by Taylor Swift with her friend Sydni. I was very proud of them. Their voices sounded great and I thought they were so brave to get up in front of everyone and sing. They even did a little choreography, too!

Waiting in line for the show to start with Kacey, Sammy and Sydni.

Below is the video of Lauren and Syndi’s song.

I’m so proud of our girls. They are not afraid to perform and have a good amount of confidence. Well done girls!

Birthday Bean

Last year was party year for Lauren, so as per our family rules, this year she was just allowed to invite a friend over to spend the night. Lauren was VERY excited for her birthday and couldn’t wait. She invited her friend Kacey from school. Her dinner request was ribs with corn on the cob. She picked out her cake and ice cream flavors and even designed and helped decorate the cake herself. She asked for a piñata filled with candy and a movie for later at night. Hmmm… sounds almost like a party to me! ;)

She had a really fun time and it was an easy night for us to pull off for her. I can hardly believe how grown up she is. My sweet little bean… 11 years old!

Mother’s Day Bike Ride & BBQ

Mother’s Day this year turned out to be a gorgeous day! Since I have committed to doing the bike leg of a triathlon in July with Terra, I have been thinking about ways to get in some training time. I use the term “training” lightly, of course. ;) This day seemed like a great day for a bike ride, so we loaded up the bikes in our truck and headed down to Seaward Park in South Seattle.

They have a bike trail that is about 2.5 miles long. We all rode around the loop one time together and then Kurt let me go again on my own and timed me. The trail was pretty crowded so I’m not sure how accurate it was, but he thought I made decent time and that I should be able to do the 12 mile bike in July in a little under an hour. I sure hope so!! :)

After our bike ride, we went home where Kurt barbequed up a salmon dinner for us and we ate out on the patio in the backyard. The girls decided to turn it into a ‘party’ for me, so they made posters and streamers and hung them up around the backyard. They even made a sign for the front door that read, “Don’t bother knocking, we’re having a party. Come on around to the back!” I felt very blessed by their sweet gestures. :) While Kurt was cooking and the girls were decorating, I enjoyed a nice conversation with MY mom on the phone.

It was a really great Mother’s Day. I love my family so, so much.

Bummin’ Around in the Backyard

This post will really have nothing more to it than some fun pictures. Kurt got the Quad out in the yard when Ashley and Lauren had their friends (MacKenzie and Raychael) over. He took us all for a ride. For me it was my first time on the thing! It was fun… I can’t wait to go for a real ride sometime. :)

Look at that ponytail fly!!

We never got a picture of Ashley on her ride. We’ll have to get her next time.

Spring Break Camping at Grayland Beach

We decided it was time to head to the ocean for a camping trip. We hadn’t been to the Washington Coast since Ashley was a baby, and thought Spring Break would give us the perfect opportunity. We went to Grayland Beach, which is between Long Beach and Ocean Shores.

It was really pretty there. I just loved the big flat open beach. It was cold and windy, but the scenery was worth it! Plus, it was sunny most of the week, so we managed to get warm when we were out of the wind.

We had some nice walks together as a family and Buddy had a blast! The girls had fun exploring the campground playing “Campground Hunters” (instead of House Hunters, the show on HGTV). They also enjoyed the tall grasses between our campsite and the beach. They played hide-and-seek there a lot.

We really had a chance to relax and spend good time together as a family once again. There was no cell service or wireless at all, either, so no one could even text, get on the computer or anything else electronic in nature.

Oh, how I love our family camping trips! I hope the girls will always have great memories of these times!

Can’t wait to go back to Grayland Beach!! :)