Day of Wonders

    We had the perfect weekend.

 We slept in on Saturday... 

had waffles for breakfast...

 drove to Tillamook Cheese Factory...

had a picnic...

had our pictures taken with some cows...

 ate some delicious squeaky cheese and ice cream... 

went to Cape Meares and saw the lighthouse... 

chased a butterfly...

 went to Cannon Beach and saw Haystack Rock... 

and played at the beach.

 It was so magical!!! 

Baking

     We only have one car. Bummer. Nate has found a carpool to work a couple of days during the week, but when he takes the car, that means we are stuck at home. Now, since our TV isn't working (it needs the little digital cable box thing which is $70... we don't want to spend the money on it right now, so we are without TV!), I have been trying to do a project with the girls every day. Some days it's playing with stickers, some days it's playing the piano, but most days, it's baking.
     I love to bake and it's something that the girls like doing as well. So, here are a few things we have baked so far...

Chocolate Mini Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

(it was absolutely divine!)

Oreo Cupcakes

Tortellini Sausage Soup

(I'm not one for soup, but this was delicious!)

and homemade breadsticks.

     I haven't always enjoyed baking. But since I've been home, I love coming up with dinner ideas and trying out new recipes.

Stuck

    If any of you know Halle, you know she is a curious, intense,  busy little girl. She definitely keeps us on our toes with her every move. She has recently taking a liking to getting stuck.... please note in the next 3 pictures she is wearing the same outfit which indicates this happened all within a couple of hours...observe the following...

Stuck in the wooden crate...

Stuck in the baby doll stroller...

and stuck in the bottom of the stroller.

 

     Halle also loves tools. In fact, we are getting her a tool set for her birthday! She is fascinated on how things work and she absolutely loves the hammer and screwdriver. She is daddy's big helper!

I just love the look she gets on her face when she is concentrating.

     She is so much fun. I couldn't imagine not having her in our lives. She makes everyday an adventure... especially when she gets a little feisty!

Our Apartment

     Well, we are finally settled in! Yeah! It feels good to not be living out of boxes, like we have been for the past month and a half. We are amazed at how much stuff we have collected! But, I love our apartment and it's location! In fact, as I was driving to the grocery store, I discovered we literally live 5 minutes from Nike!  So here are some pics of our new place. I am still in the process of decorating, but I am really pleased with how everything turned out!

First off, I just had to take a picture of my oven!

I know it's totally geeky, 

but I've been living with a half size oven 

for the past 5 years.

I have baked so much the past week

because I can bake 2 trays at once!

The Kitchen... where magic happens. :)

The Living Room

The Living Room from the front door.

Our Entertainment Center.

I love how it's decorated.

The girls' bathroom/guest bathroom.

I didn't really want a pink guest bathroom,

but since the girls use it the most,

I let Ava pick out the shower curtain, 

and I went from there...

We have our own washer and dryer!

The hallway. The girls bathroom is the first door on the right.

The laundry area is off to the left.

Straight ahead is the girls room

and the second door on the right is our room.

My Calendar.

I wanted to take a pic of this because of how empty it is!

I love having an empty calendar.

Our bedroom. Don't you like the red pillowcases with the green ones?

We're in the process of changing our bedding...

We finally have our dresser out of storage!

Our elliptical machine. 

It was once my mom's... but she was kind enough to give it to us.

Now there is NO excuse for me not to exercise! Lol.

Our bathroom.

I love it, but Nate thinks it's too girly.

I found the shower curtain on sale at 

a consignment shop and I fell instantly in love.

The girls room. 

We are getting bunkbeds sometime this summer...

But I love that all of their toys fit in their room!

And I didn't realize just how many toys we actually have...

And finally... our dining room.

When looking for a place to live,

I was adamant that the dining room and 

living room be separate. 

I want the dining room to be a gathering place 

where we can eat dinner in peace without the

temptation of the TV. 

Well, there it is!

Yeah!

First Flight

   Ava and Halle went on their first airplane flight! We left super early in the morning, had a layover in Boise, and then arrived in Portland around noon. I actually liked having the layover because it broke things up a bit and gave the girls a chance to run and stretch their legs. Each flight was only about 45 minutes. I remember flying when I was little and it was such an adventure.... but now that I'm approaching 30 and I am prone to terrible headaches, flying wasn't so fun. But, I'm grateful to my mom who flew with me. I'm sure people were looking at us weird as we went through the airport.... I mean, who wouldn't? We were lugging 2 carseats, 2 children, 3 suitcases, and our purses. We had our hands full, but we made it!

 Waiting to board the plane!

 While flying into Portland, both girls fall asleep.

Ava always falls asleep in a moving vehicle, (gotta love her glasses!)

but I was really surprised that Halle fell asleep.

First off, 

she doesn't cuddle.

Secondly,

she's an extremely light sleeper.

But she was so tired!