Birthdays, Beach and Grandma A.

We have been very busy since our last posting. We had Alyssa and Lauren's birthday party, Grandma A. from Toronto, a one night trip to Long Beach, Washington, a volunteer appreciation luncheon at Alyssa's school and also a class field trip to see the new movie "Earth".

When we were at Long Beach, Harry bought some freshly made Kettle Korn--and it was so good! I did a little googling and found a simple recipe that you can make at home, plus it was also delicious! For those who want to try it, here is what you do: first, get out the popcorn kernals, oil, sugar, salt, a heavy, large sauce pan and a wood spoon.

1. Heat oil (1/4 cup) in a large, heavy saucepan. (I had stove at medium)
2. Pour in the popcorn (1/2 cup), sprinkle sugar (1-1/2 to 3 Tabl.) on top and cover.
3. Once popcorn starts popping, shake continuously until the popcorn is popped.
4. Transfer to a serving bowl and salt (to taste) lightly.
Yield 8-10 cups. Enjoy!

Alyssa and Harry at the pool in Long Beach. I took this from our room and the angle made the pool look huge!

The Astoria-Megler bridge-almost two miles long!

Enjoying hand scooped ice cream at a very fun spot- Scoopers.

Alyssa and Grandma A. taking a break from browsing the shops of downtown Long Beach.

Alyssa trying out her birthday rollerblades. Long Beach has paved trails in the sea grass perfect for scooters, skates, bikes and walkers.

Lauren on her birthday scooter.

The wooden boardwalk at Long Beach.

We made a deal with the girls: sit still for some nice pictures and you can get the biggest lollipop you have ever seen. It sort of worked-Lauren still ran out of patience and she still got her lollipop after our family portrait session.

Enjoying the soft, warm sand, the sound of the waves, the cool breeze and the sticky and sweet treat.

Three days later the lollipops almost look like new. It will take lots of licks to get through them. (Although I am sure they will hit the garbage any day now!)

One of my favorite pictures of the girls. It was difficult getting a great picture with the bright sunshine and lack of open shade on the beach. I am still happy with the results.

Sunset Sunday evening. Harry contemplated driving onto the sand but I was sure we would get stuck. We saw large pick-ups spinning in the sand so I was sure Subie would bottom out.

Birthday girl turns 7!! We had one small family party for both girls this year, since their birthdays are only two days apart. I am sure we won't always get away with one party, especially when they both want their school chums. Alyssa wanted this chocolate cream dessert that is her favorite when we have a potluck at meeting.

Birthday girl turns 3!!! Lauren had a homemade angel food cake with lots of whipped cream and strawberries! Yum!

Part of the crew, Alyssa, Amy, Grandma A and Harold.

Papa and Grandma M. also joined us. Guess Lauren didn't make into either picture :(

Birthday sisters! Both girls really enjoyed the princess theme that Harold and Grandma A. picked out. They had lots of balloons, streamers and a banner to create a party atmosphere.

Lauren is helping Alyssa with her homework on the back deck. We had some great weather about a week ago and were able to get the kiddie pool out as well as all the deck furniture.

Soaking in the last few rays of the sun.

Watch out Alyssa!

Taking a spin on the 360 degree teeter totter. Lauren is enjoying it much more this year, but their balance is off a bit.

Dinner out on the deck. Can't wait to do this on a regular basis--love it! The girl in the middle is the neighbor next door.

We had a wonderful week with Grandma A with us. Alyssa and Grandma A read almost every evening at bedtime, which I am sure gave Alyssa a boost with her reading skills. Grandma A brought some simple yet interesting and educational books for Alyssa to practice with. Lauren really enjoyed going for walks with grandma, playing with cars and blocks and showing off her scootering skills. We were thankful to have the full week with Grandma A, and we miss her very much. We also missed Grandpa D who needed to stay home this trip.

Alyssa and Lauren send thank you's to all who sent cards, gifts and birthday wishes. Handwritten thank you cards will come, at least from Alyssa, scribbles will come from Lauren.

Tidbits from the last two weeks

We had a taste of summer about a week ago and didn't waste a minute by staying in the house. On Saturday, we explored a large park in Portland that had some older style playground equipment as well as huge grassy areas that many dogs were running around on. The day was perfect-mid seventies and lots of sunshine!

Alyssa spinning around on the merry-go-round. I am sitting across from her spinning also, trying to capture Alyssa with a blurred background. Hard to do when your own equilibrium is off! I felt nautious and dizzy for a couple hours afterwards.

Harold and Lauren taking a turn. Lauren loved it but mom wouldn't let it go too fast so she wouldn't slide off with the momentum.

It seems harder to find parks that still have merry-go-rounds. This one was usually covered in kids-but we were able to enjoy it for a few minutes on our own.

We have had many people remark on how much Lauren looks like Great Grandma S. There is a strong resemblence when she smiles and her eyes crinkle up. It is so neat to see someone from three generations up in your children.

There is a black and white dog in the background enjoying his freedom and space to run.

The lawn was covered in clusters of little white flowers-similar to a daisy, but much shorter.

Old-school teeter totters. Alyssa and Harry tried it out, but the weight wasn't too balanced, even with adjusting the center of the beam :)

This was a newer style teeter-totter that was spring loaded and four way. Not quite as exciting as the older wood style.

Lauren's trademark: making a mess no matter what she is doing. She tried to pick this mess up using a soup spoon, but it was VERY slow going.

My daffodils are up and blooming! They even managed to survive several hail storms yesterday. I LOVE the bright colors that Spring brings!

On a day that reached 76 degrees, Lauren played in her water/sand box without the sand. Here she is trying to blow bubbles with a curly-q straw. We loved the warm sun on our bare shoulders!

What more can I say? Flip flops, bare toes, green grass and sun!

Always a favorite: bubble blowing! We are still using our homemade bubbles that we made over a month ago.

Wheeee!

After a long day out in the sun, sleepy Lauren is unwinding on the stairs. She doesn't like to have her hair done, but I like to put it back and get it out of her face.

Almost ready for bed: nuk and nite-nite.

Alyssa and Lauren were able to spend an afternoon playing with great A. J (great in both senses!) from Tacoma area. Aunt J. had Easter goodie bags for both girls full of hair bands, pins, candy and flavored lip gloss. Lauren immedietly put her strawberry 'lips' on and is still carrying the beautifying agent around one week later. She also enjoys putting my lips on for me :) Both girls really enjoyed their time with their aunt playing, reading and sharing projects from school. Thank you for spending an afternoon with us! Oh, and your recipes turned out great for the company. I didn't have walnuts for the coffee cake so substituted macadamia nuts, which I may continue doing! Mmmm!

We enjoyed some visitors from Nova Scotia this last week. They are sort of related, step uncle and aunt. It was a quick visit as they were on their way to Vancouver B.C. for conference, driving up from Sacremento. The girls enjoyed sharing their toys and showing off their rooms. We enjoyed a quick visit over breakfast and hearing the news from their area.

Easter Sunday we spent at papa and grandma's house. Grandma had a nice meal for us before we hid 45 eggs around the house. We didn't find one, so watch out papa, it maybe in your shoe or under a pillow! The girls had fun finding the eggs and then dumping all the candy out. I forgot my camera, so no pictures.

Harry's path to naturalization seems to be moving along. Today he is getting fingerprinted downtown. No date for the big exam yet.

Happy Spring everybody!