Spring Flowers

One of the things I've been enjoying about Washington is that spring actually happens in spring. We had daffodils in March, and all the trees and rhododendrons flowered in April. I've been meaning to take pictures of some of the ones in our yard, but I've taken so long to do it, that I've almost missed my chance. All the rhododendrons in the front turned out to be white blossoms, but the trees are purple when they blossom. 

Today, we drove up to catch the last weekend of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, which has so many spring flowers it's truly amazing and only about 45 minutes away. It was almost too late. There were only a couple fields that hadn't been cut already, but the display gardens were gorgeous, and we saw one field still planted. We learned that next time we should go earlier in April and during the week because it was really crowded.

We started out checking out an arts and crafts street fair, and Jack got to ride a pony.

Then, we went out to see the flowers. Finally, we went to a Salmon BBQ at a Kiwanis lodge for lunch, which was simple but tasty. Then, we headed back because we had some errands to run as well. Mike took most of the pictures, which are very pretty. I might need to print and frame some of them.

Easter Sunday

We had a very busy day today. We had lunch in Tacoma with Mary and Susan and their kids. It was a fun time. Susan did another Easter Egg hunt for Jack and Ari, so we got another chance for a few pictures.

Then, we went to Bellevue in the afternoon for another Easter family celebration with Pat and Jim Harper and their family. It was again a great time, and we all ate way too much. We didn't take pictures here, but it was really nice to meet everyone.  

Here's a new family picture we took today too.

Also, we had to get pictures with Jack's bunny. I can't resist the review, so here goes:   

Jack with his bunny Easter 2011 (5 days old)

Jack with his (seemingly much smaller) bunny, Easter 2012

Jack with his bunny, Easter 2013

Jack with his bunny, Easter 2014

Easter Saturday

Jackson did awesome at his first ever dentist appointment this morning. He didn't cry or fuss during his cleaning or checkup. He didn't like the taste of the fluoride, but he accepted it. No cavities and looking good. 

 Afterwards, we went to Lesa's house for lunch and a fun Easter Egg hunt with Sam and Tommy. The boys had a great time. I completely forgot to take any pictures of the egg hunt, but tomorrow I'll try to get a picture of Jack with his Easter bunny.

Jack Turns 3!

We had a fun construction themed birthday party for Jack today, complete with a dirt pile to dig in, a dump truck piñata, and hats for the crew. Lesa and Colin came over with their 4 boys and Marty and Susan drove up with Ari and Jessica. We had a great time!  Grandma and Grandpa Harper sent money for a sandbox, but it's not here yet, so we put the sand out on a tarp for now. They also gave Jack some cute new swim clothes and other goodies. Jack loved the cars and planes he got from Lesa and family, and the Tonka truck and tractor from the Pierce family. His Papa Jeff and Gram Fran sent toy tools, which were a big hit with all the kids too. Jack liked them so much he had to take them to bed with him at nap time, and he carried his new Tonka truck from Marty and Susan to the store with him this afternoon too. Grandma and Grandpa Anderson sent him a new movie and alphabet blocks, which he said were "cool." As usual, the kid made out like a bandit.  We actually got him a new bicycle, but there was so much excitement today that we didn't even bring it out. We'll give it to him tomorrow…it's a bigger bike that he'll need to grow into anyway. Here are some pics from the day:

Yesterday, we also had a fun day going to Whidbey Island with Lesa and Colin and the boys. We played on the beach, checked out an old fort, and had lunch. It was a great time, but I forgot my camera, so I'll have to post pictures of that later after Lesa sends me some from her camera.