chris.reese.girls1.2.3.4

We spent our Memorial Day in Yakima this year (it's turning into a bit of a tradition). We wanted to visit our family at the lake, but the main occasion was to see cousin Kelly, who just returned from serving a mission in St. Louis, speak in sacrament meeting. There were a few other activities scattered throughout the weekend as well. Thanks to Janet and Dennis for letting us stay, and for Karl and Jana for treating us to a GREAT day at the lake and for including us in Kelly's homecoming festivities!  Saturday morning we left home and drove straight to Vantage. We enjoyed a lot of our Hendricks family!  Finley decided she didn't like the sand so much. She always had her feet perched up off the sand, even after I put a towel underneath her. She cracks me up.  Finley getting some attention from cousins Mary and Emily. This was the ONLY time she touched the water. It was freezing.  Brynn had a BLAST at the lake. She loved riding in the boat. And she an...

Since the move, each day has been lived by "the list", constantly trying to cross things off and make more progress with the house. I haven't felt a routine since well before the start of our move in late March. I decided it was finally time to find real life. Sure, the list is still long and there are a million projects I want to tackle, but I'll get there. We are going to be in this house forever, right?! So for the past two weeks (minus the few days when I was out with strep throat) I made weekly menus, cooked regular meals, and even found time for some yummy baked treats. We had play time, nap time, cleaning time, etc. Normal life with a not-so-strict routine and a project here and there is starting to take shape. Life is grand out here in North Bend! In the midst of all our unpacking and settling there is still much that has been going on. This post is my massive catch-all catch-up, and I will not be offended if you don't get all the way through this one...

After the move, the girls still returned to Renton for the last month of dance classes to finish out the year and perform in the recital. Personally, I was glad when it was all over because each Tuesday I had to pull Paige out of school and spend the entire day in Renton. In between each of the girls' classes we would spend time at the rental house either painting, or showing, or cleaning carpets, etc. These were exhausting days and leaving at 9am and returning at 9pm were tough, especially on the girls. But we survived!!! And we have the recital to show for it. (Prepare for photo overload...) Here are the girls in full make-up just before heading to the green room for the show! This part of mommy-hood is so fun - the hairspray, perfect buns, make-up, lipstick, the costumes, music, performance - the girls love it too. They were especially excited about flowers from dad after the recital. I loved hearing them speculate about what he would bring them...  The entire show ...