finer details

there is a little bit of catch up going on here these days.

a few things to share that have finally made it to the top of the "to do" list.

Monday took us to get the oil changed in the "kid car". {as opposed to the other car which is "Daddy's going to work car"}



while we were waiting the kids enjoyed themselves in the play area. i had to laugh at the scene. every teddy bear in the joint was sitting while Kiara and Aidan read to them from one of the dealership brochures. i had to put up a fight to keep my chair from being taken over by a teddy bear. thankfully teddy bears can comfortably sit with more than one to a single chair...without a fight.

this was taken a few weeks ago. one day she will get me back for this. i'll deserve it! but isn't she sweet?

and speaking of sweets....

i went out for supper with some friends i hadn't seen in a long time. so good to gab and visit. i had lost my voice....ugh...so they had the good fortune of having me do more listening than talking! lol. it was a fun restaurant with some variety in their menu too. i had the nasi goreng. it was very tasty, but there were some chunks of meat that i could have ate less of. other dishes that were yummy was the house salad and something with huge prawns. the presentation was also really amazing. we all agreed that it would be a good "date" restaurant...as the four of us girls chatted while our hubbies were at home with our children!

i don't know how the girls did it, but they managed room for dessert! i was tempted...but knew Halloween candy would be floating around....hate it when i stand up against temptation! maybe i could twist their arms to go out for "coffee" and dessert one night....hmmmm....

this is partly why....

simple. butter cake. oh and there was a fruit sauce. totally healthy.

this was a bomb of chocolate and raspberries. see? still fruit involved.

this was not sinful at all. bernard callebault white chocolate. with raspberries.



i already know what i'm going to order. they have a chocolate caramel cake that shouldn't disappoint.

{keep in mind that photos taken in dimlight with a flash don't do justice to what your eyes actually see....yes, these look even yummier in real life! so glad that one of us had a camera! i can thank my job for that....since it was what got me into the practice of putting it in my purse each day}

do you think they might have specials for Christmas? or maybe even pre-Christmas?

tacos el rey

oh get me one, please!

Tulalip, Washington

yup just a trailer in an empty lot

well, they do have a detached eating area

(and it is heated!)

when i was first given the name to this establishment, it was refered to as the "roach coach".

as were all the similar ones. such an appetizing nick-name.

spanish!

i have a new favourite after this trip. taco al pastor. so similar to the tacos i had in Mexico City in 1993. they claim authentic mexican cuisine. not that i am the most experienced in mexican food, but i remember that this was one of the most common fast foods on the street. a taste like no other. the tortas carnitas are also good as well as the asada tortas or tacos. must squeeze the lime over the food. and also beware of the jalapeno peppers included. and the tacos are only $1 each.

Aidan bit into one. they started adding the pepper slices to the tortas since we were last here. he still finished his food, but he has lost some of the original excitement for the food! anyways we drove by tonight and i ate my last good tacos until i come back again. unless one of these roach coaches decides to try out the northern winters....i have heard that many actually find Washington too cold. so i guess it isn't too likely we'll be seeing them in Edmonton!

really i think i put El Rey and Dicks right up there with Vi's on my must do list. maybe i am a foodie after all?

so now i've got a million photos. and i really need to get some scrapbook pages done. i cleaned up my craft area before i left. must be all ready for me!

while i've been away i've had some time to do some blogging. i came across this one in my "journey". she designed her own line of fabric. she is very crafty. and it is so worth the stop. and she was also mentioned in the March Creating Keepsakes. it was thrilling to have come across her via other blogs before i read about her in the magazine! or maybe that is a bad sign? anyways check her out.

together

reading, playing, laughing, eating...

with the hour time change, the kids have been early-birds.

this morning was quite nice as the kids were interested in reading books by the fire.

they both love this fireplace....i've caught each of them intently staring at the flames.

we thought Malachi looked like a cute little elf

don't you just want to hug him and make him smile in this photo?

i think i mentioned earlier that the backyard has been a land of adventure. here is a photo of one of the fun activities. today i found Aidan "cleaning" this fire pit bowl (or whatever the real name is!). he has spent nearly every day outside. it has been great to enjoy the sun and comfortable weather.....i try not to think of adjusting to a few more months of snow and ice and winter jackets. but i love that both of the kids LOVE being outside and are able to find lots of activities to enjoy. i am so looking forward to spring and summer. even more to look forward to than just pleasant weather.

they both look so academic.

this is the closest Krispy Kreme. and we hoped that the "HOT" light would be turned on when we visited. they don't post when they'll turn it on. and apparently most of the stores have it on for two 15 minute time periods a day. the bonus? they give out free samples of their freshest donuts only when this light is lit.

and the cool part? the light went on just as we drove into the parking lot!

and we enjoyed our donuts. we watched the next batch of their original donuts go down the automated assembly line. and the kids were so hyper. we went right after the kids naps. we thought we were so smart initially! after their sugar injestion we both had to drag the kids back to the car!

one of their featured donuts.
yummy. gooey. sticky.
the kids started to hold hands this week.

adorable.

this is me and my sister Sarah.

i'm the oldest in the family. and she is the youngest.

crocus blooms are everywhere. we even saw some pussywillows this morning.

i had oodles of adorable pictures of the kids. but they look like i took them with a special lens. but no i am not that talented. after downloading the entire lot i discovered that there was a smear on the lens. no doubt sugary donuts were to blame. ugh! and the pictures were so good too. and it's our last day. i'm so glad that i've snapped pictures all week and didn't leave it to the last day.
and it is a good reminder to be checking the lens too.

tomorrow we fly back home. it's always nice to return home. but we're all sad that the visit is at the end. we've all had so much fun. the kids wake up and are anxious to start playing. their age difference is perfect right now, so the three of them are even able to play together happily. good memories.

you know you are in trouble when

everybody is ready and you still have time to spare. you just know that something unpredictable will happen and make you late. isn't that just the way?

Kiara and Malachi had some water fun while Sarah and i were getting ready for church. this mess literally happened in 5 minutes.thankfully it was just water. but it still meant changing Kiara's entire outfit. fortunately Malachi just had wet feet, while he watched Kiara sit down and spread the water all around.

however....

don't they look like they are admiring their mess?

Aidan was excited to go to uncle Nathans' church today. i wasn't sure how the kids would do, all 3 of them would be in a different room. but they both went off to their rooms without a complaint...or a look back at me!

Kiara had fallen asleep in the nursery. Aidan made this picture. he explained that Jesus helps us help others. he also added that he listened really well. and that he was the only one listening. hmmmm... i think there must be more to this story! although i'm relieved to hear that he was bragging about being a good listener...and not bragging about being the worst. as a son of a teacher....that might not go so well for him.

then we went out for lunch. it was one of those outings we wish we had the power to change. it didn't help that it took forever (at least it seemed) to get the food.

anyways....we were all happy to be back at home and have the kids each in a room and hear ourselves think again. there was no way Kiara wanted to sleep again today. great. thankfully Aidan and the good sense to stay in the room i sent him to and stay there. smart boy.

after about an hour of wondering if Kiara would sleep i borrowed the van and went shopping with my kids. Kohl's - i discovered today - has 2 seater shopping strollers. hooray for the person who invented those. then we checked out a few stores at the outlet mall. i think they enjoyed it. Aidan wanted to stay longer. it is amazing how quickly time flies while you shop at the outlet stores. Sarah and i did a power shop one night. no kids. that is the way to do it. but it was fun to take the kids and let them check it out.

i can't believe it. we didn't spend any time outdoors today. that is a first. it was also cloudy today. but still no rain!

we still have some more stuff to do on our list. the time is going too quickly. don't like that.

day trip

to Seattle!

uncle Nathan was not working today so we thought it would be fun to pack everyone up and head into Seattle and visit the zoo.

the kids were soooo excited that we were going to see animals.

we thought some lunch might be best beforehand so we went to this popular spot:

it doesn`t look like it has changed much.

like Peter`s Drive In in Calgary

very cool

Aidan liked a painted vw bug parked beside our van. it was definitely colourful. he refered to it as a butterfly. maybe something from the disney cars movie.

he told Sarah that he could buy that car, but he didn`t want to spend the money.

hmmm....wondering what conversations he`s listening to these days....

got to the zoo.

the giraffes were the first animals we saw

the raptor area was preparing for a presentation. they had a peregrin falcon among the 5 raptors that were going to participate. scary birds, but so beautiful!

snack time while admiring the raptors
is this not incredible.

i could have taken at least 5 photos to show the entire mural.

it reminded me of the wild alberta gallery in our local museum

one building housed a historic carousel. there were several statues or places to pose for photos. this one did not have a line-up, so i quickly snapped a couple of Aidan on the bear. Kiara thought she should also have a turn. sounds fair. but she is not able to sit on something like this on her own yet.

one of our happy moments!
love this photo

can not remember what animal they are looking at though.

it definitely captivated all of them.

Kiara was very tired and it was getting time for us to go anyway.

there were so many exhibits we will have to come back to see. an entire day could have been spent here. and when these kiddies are older, i hope we will! for now, a few hours is our max.

and for Kiara having been so tired, she was the only one who did not fall asleep on our trip home.

lizard eyes!

or maybe just candy!

a little treat for these happy little boys.

we are still having a lot of fun. the kids are finally getting over the worst of their colds.

tonight all 3 of them were in the kitchen twirling around a million times. right at the ankles of Nathan while he was cleaning up. he also had music playing while he worked. and perhaps the excitement of being where the action was drew them all to the same spot!

this was the first day that the kids didn`t play in the backyard. i`m sure they`ll make up for it tomorrow. Aidan has been working hard creating a river and also making a campfire. Malachi is his willing and able helper. not sure what Kiaras` role is. however today we were outdoors most of the day at the zoo, so plenty of fresh air and sunshine. we are all so thrilled that the weather has been so amazing. i think this is the most sun i`ve ever seen in any of my trips to washington.