Six weeks

And suddenly six weeks have gone by. I didn’t set out to give up the blog but between work and girls and laundry and a million other things that take up the day I have to really *decide* to blog. So here’s me deciding. I think the biggest challenge lately is I really have no time to myself during the day. When I am home with the girls, Cate watches an episode of Sesame Street or Yo Gabba Gabba in the morning but Jane doesn’t really like to watch TV. I can unload the dishwasher or do laundry with her around but sitting down and concentrating enough to write? Not happening. And in the afternoons, when Jane is asleep, Cate isn’t always sufficiently occupied for me to write. We usually read or work on little projects together. But today is a beautiful day and Cate took the Calico Critters on a fieldtrip outside to the swingset. I can see her from the window and she looks like she’s having fun.

So the last six weeks.

We went to Richland for the weekend and had a lovely time. The girls love to play at the little park near my parent’s house and Telfer and I love to go out to Prosser for lunch with my parents. Wine O’Clock is so good. Cate and I made spiced madeleine’s with a cream cheese frosting. She dipped almost all the cookies in the frosting and then we had our cousins over on the first day of Spring for madeleines, hot chocolate and tea. Jane habitually drops babies into the toilet. The baby has to go potty and one things leads to another and in they go. I couldn’t resist taking a photo this time.

Telfer and I went snowshoeing at Mt. Rainier for the first time. It was so much fun. We accidentally did an advanced trail for our first time but didn’t have too much trouble. Seven miles or so later, we were both tired and hungry in the best possible way. It was a gorgeous, sunny day at Mt. Rainier. Grammy picked up the girls from preschool so we didn’t have to rush back. I will say that gearing up for a snowshoeing day was quite the process. I own absolutely no outdoor clothes (what, you can’t wear lululemon workout pants and a jacket, really?) so Telfer had to help me out. We resembled this Portlandia sketch. Self-awareness?

Judah James McMullan has entered the world and is a beautiful baby boy. It’s so bizarre. He looks like Alyssa’s other babies but like a boy. He cries like a boy. His hands and feet are boyish. It’s amazing! Liz and Cate and I took a trip to Prineville to meet Judah when we was three weeks old. It was a short trip but such a sweet and valuable time.

And then Easter. On Saturday we had a fun little egg hunt with cousins at Grammy & Papa’s house. The girls (+ Reuben) were so fun to watch. Notice the little egg project above. Cate and I had so much fun putting together this $5 kit from Target. Our animal eggs turned out so cute. Cate is amazingly good at detailed little things. Resurrection Sunday was absolutely beautiful. We had a lovely brunch at our house after church with Chris and Mendy and Nana and Luke and Sherry and Maresa and Kelsey and our crew of children. Afterwards we went across the street and let the kids run and play. It was beyond gorgeous.

And that concludes the last six weeks!