Bad Blogger

Hi friends and family! Where has the time gone? We have been busy and are looking at a few busy weeks ahead, too. I thought I'd make lists of what everyone is up to.

Ryan:

1) Has been playing ultimate Frisbee again! (He used to play in college.) He joined a city league through Parks and Rec. He is really enjoying it.
2) Is working very hard but not as much at night, which is nice for me.
3) Is planning to go to New York City this summer to see a Mets game with his cousin Matt, who lives in L.A.

Amy:

1) I just submitted my application to become a Jazzercise instructor. Totally not something I ever thought I would do but I am very excited. I've actually been doing Jazzercise off and on since I was a sophomore in high school! My audition and test are August 8-10 in Portland.
2) As a result of this new endeavor, I dance around like I am in Footloose and whenever a song from Jazzercise comes on in a store or on the radio, I feel the need to do the routine.
3) I am about to turn 32!
4) I am going to Colorado for work in early June.

Aidan:

1) Turns 5 on June 1st!
2) Is TOTALLY, COMPLETELY into playing with his cars from the Disney/Pixar movie Cars. That is basically all he plays with right now. He is getting several new diecast cars for his birthday that have been missing from the collection (Darrell Cartrip, Charlie Checker, and some other more obscure characters for those in the Cars know).
3) Is starting to ask a lot how to spell words and what letter some words start with. It's a lot of fun.
4) Is enjoying having sleepovers at his grandma's house about once a week.

Lauren:

1) Is getting close to 2 (July 2nd)!
2) Is talking up an absolute storm. The latest thing that impressed me was: "Here you go. Sippy. All done."
3) Is quite the fiesty little character. She and Aidan both do this thing when they're mad where they make a hitting motion and say "uh, uh, uh." Aidan knows it's not OK to do but Lauren doesn't. She does it to us when we're having the nerve to try and put her in the carseat, etc.
4) Is my little partner in fruit eating and can eat more dried mangos than you could believe.


Lauren put on Aidan's shirt, bike helmet and underpants (both legs through one leg hole) by herself. She puts his shoes on a lot, too.

Aidan is almost 5!


Lauren wearing her baby in her sling made by Jessica; Aidan with the pigeon from "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" (an excellent book).
Lauren with our neighbor and special buddy Maryella. They are the cutest together. Lauren calls Maryella "Ella" and her sunglasses "eyes."

Snow Fun

I had a big work project to do on Sunday, so Ryan took the kids to the snow with Dan and Chase. They had an extra pair of cross-country skis and Aidan tried them out. He did really well!

Wild Weather Week

Last Saturday we rode our bikes to the park for a picnic and enjoyed temperatures in the high 70s. Today, we woke up to snow and drove to the first farmers' market of the season in a hailstorm. WACKY! The kids also dressed up for the annual Procession of the Species parade. (Luckily, the clouds parted a bit in time for the parade.) Lauren wore Aidan's peacock costume from his second Halloween, but accessorized with a tutu and ruby slippers. Aidan wore a way-too-small cheetah costume with pajamas underneath, and accessorized with his Superman cape and snow boots. Fashionable kids, these ones!

Last Saturday on the swings:

Yummy spring picnic: roasted asparagus, strawberries, pesto tortellini salad and chocolate mint brownies from Cooking Light magazine:

Today at the parade:


After relaxing at home this afternoon we went out grocery shopping and encountered another huge hailstorm on the way home. Here are some pictures taken in front of our house:

Peas, lettuce, and lavender, all covered with hail:

Catching Up

Feeling lots better but still getting caught up on everything that I let slide when I was sick...I've also been super busy with work. My job got cut back by 1/3 starting this week, and the last few weeks of full-time work were a whirlwind. We are trying to get into a more budget-concious frame of mind after two years of the type of spending that comes along with buying a new (but really old) house. Consuming less is always a goal of ours anyway, from an environmental standpoint, so we're trying to look at this cutback as a blessing in disguise.

It has continued to be rainy and cool here in Oregon. My lettuce and peas seem to be doing well but some of our new plants that the landscapers put in are looking pretty unhappy. The forecast is calling for warmer weather this weekend--we're ready for some and are keeping our fingers crossed. Our farmers' market opens a week from Saturday and we're really excited about it; we opted against doing our CSA (community-supported agriculture) program this year due to financial constraints, but plan to drop some serious cash at the farmers' market each week. :-)

Lauren now has enough hair to pull off this look. I can't even stand the cuteness. This hairdo was definitely one of the things I was looking forward to about having a girl.


Aidan snuggling with Lauren in her crib:

And pulling her around at the garden center:
Hunting for eggs in PJs, rain boots and coats early on Easter morning:



Aidan was in hog heaven playing cars on Easter. Look how he lines them up:
Our family at dear friends Margaret, Dan, Lily and Chase's house on Easter (at least Ryan and I look happy). It was so much fun! There were lots of kids and the egg hunt was great. Both kids found lots!

Whenever I have a headband on, she likes to get in on the action:

Spring!

Although we've been having kind of rainy weather lately after a nice stretch in February, it was partly sunny this afternoon and I took the kids over to the university near our house in the double stroller. Aidan rode his scooter much of the way. We were hunting for forsythia (Aidan has been enjoying pointing out these bright blooming plants when we've been driving around town), and we found a bunch! When we got home, Aidan pushed Lauren on the Push & Go. We had a fun afternoon!

I have been really sick (AGAIN) and am getting over bronchitis or pneumonia (the doctor wasn't sure which one but was going to prescribe the same antibiotic regardless, so I opted against the chest x-ray to find out which one it was). I'm not coughing as much but still have pain when I breathe and lose my breath easily. This has been one tough winter for illnesses. Luckily, I seem to have gotten the worst of it, but the kids almost always seem to have something low-grade going on. Hoping it all passes soon.

Enjoy the pictures I took today, and happy Easter!







Our neglected cat makes a rare appearance on the blog! (See above picture.)

One Year as a Family of Four!

Today marks the one-year anniversary of our meeting Lauren in Taiwan. This has been the absolute fastest year of our lives and she amazes us every day with her beauty, intelligence, sense of humor and sweetness. Her latest thing is asking for hugs (by saying "hug!" and putting her arms out) many times a day--to Ryan and me, Aidan, Bethie and her friends and teachers. Aidan has, just in the last couple of months, really warmed up to her and most of the time seems to truly enjoy her company and be amused by her antics. We feel so lucky to have been able to adopt both of these wonderful kids!

Here are some pictures from tonight. We had dinner at our house with Bethie and our old family friends Lily and Chase. I made some Sneaky Chef brownies and ice cream for dessert to celebrate our Lauren Ling-iversary.

Landscaping Progress, Cute Kids

Our landscaping is coming right along! Here are some shots of the progress over the last couple of months. The plants have now been planted (the kids were a great help with that on a BEAUTIFUL day last week) and there are just a few more odds and ends to finish up.

We've been sick a lot this winter, most recently with a really bad flu...we're on the mend now, but Lauren and I have hacking coughs. Yuck! Here are some pictures from February:

Lauren, Ryan and I tried Bubble Tea at a Chinese New Year celebration. We really liked it, even the tapioca balls were fine! Not something I'd purposely eat on a regular basis, but not bad. We all enjoyed the big straws!

We had a great time at Isabel's 2nd birthday party at the Riverfront Carousel in Salem. Lots and lots of Merry-Go-Round rides!

Lauren and Ryan try it out.

New paver walkway, and the ground getting ready for sod.
Ready for the grass!
Sod being delivered.
Getting started.
Miss Lauren supervises the process.
Rolling out the sod.
One side all done.
Other side all done (and sprinklers!).
Beginning of the plant placement.
Plant placement in the front. Almost all the plants are in the ground now! (I haven't taken pictures yet, though.)