Making Memories with Nana

My mom started a tradition of taking the grandkids on a train ride for their 4th birthday and last month, it was Katelyn's turn! Nana brough a special goody bag of treats and even Katelyn's own disposable camera to capture the activities (my scanner is broken, so just trust me on a bunch of cute Katelyn angled pics). My mom has a dear friend that lives in Longview, so she and Katelyn climbed aboard and arrived in Longview before they knew it! They had lunch with my mom's friend Vicki and hung out at their house for a bit, then headed back to Vancouver. It was Katelyn's first train ride!

I love so many things about my mom, but now that I'm a mother myself, I can reflect on my childhood and realize that my mom's priorities have not changed in all the years that I can remember. Her priorities are the people she loves. Always have been, always will be. Thanks mom for making us all feel special and loved. Thanks mom for making special memories with my kids. They will always know how much they are loved by you!

Getting checked in at the Amtrak counter (this Amtrak lady did not want to be in the picture, but we convinced her it was necessary :)

Waiting for the train

All aboard!!!

And they're off...

about three and a half hours later, they're baaaaaaack!

Megan ran ahead to greet them, welcoming them back from their long trip away from home :)

Thanks Nana for a fun memory!

Our Last Lazy School Day

While tomorrow might be the last hectic school day for lots, it will be the very last lazy school day for us! Forever! (well, I guess there is that ocasional late start day right??? Ok, no need to be so dramatic)

We have thoroughly enjoyed PM kindergarten and no preschool. This translates into lazy school days. Don't get me wrong, we do actually get up and out the door eventually. I've been quite faithful in getting to Lake Shore at least twice a week (for my 10:15 class) and Summit View Mom's twice a month. Here's a dirty little secret: I've only had to set my alarm about 15 times this whole year, that's barely over once a month (for the school year). My darling children usually sleep in until 8, sometimes it's a little earlier. I have LOVED every minute of it. Jammies until we feel like getting dressed, leisurely breakfast, cartoons, games, puzzles, reading books and whatever else we feel like. If you've noticed, quite a lot of our pictures are in jammies (like the lost tooth....I think it was around 10am), but who's keeping track :) ??? When the doctor or dentist tries to schedule our appts for 8am or even 9, they are met with a blank stare and a shaking head and a "what other times do you have available?"

I admit to feeling an occasional pang of guilt, but then I quickly realize how soon this luxury will be gone, so instead I've just tried to enjoy my time with my girls. I know full well sleeping in will be a distant memory when September rolls around. My Megan is not a morning person and neither am I, but this will change when all day 1st grade forces us into a new routine. Soooo, when the rest of the world is looking forward to lazy summer days, we will very soon be in training mode to prepare for September. Good-bye lazy school days, I love you and will miss you more than words can say!

The First Lost Tooth

She waited and waited and waited and waited. She saw all her friends lose teeth. She asked when it would be her turn and was told the tooth would get loose and come out when it was ready to. She's over six and a half so any day we knew it would happen then lo and behold after checking for a wiggle, she was soooo excited to feel a little movement. There was no turning back now, this tooth was getting looser by the minute. A couple weeks later during the daily wiggle-fest and while watching some morning cartoons, I heard a scream and was informed someone was bleeding. I was on the computer and ran in to see who got hurt. The scream sooned turned into a squeal of excitment. It was out! Her first lost tooth! We rinsed it off and almost lost it down the drain in our adrenalin rush, but it made it under the pillow that night and off it went with the tooth fairy! What a fun milestone to experience!

Now we can gear up for the "big wait" for boobs and periods....oh joy! Luckily I have a few years :)

Her new "look"

making all her calls to share the excitement!

Masters March Madness

March is a fun but busy month for us. Katelyn's birthday, my birthday and St Patty's day. My family is Irish, so we have fun celebrating as an extended family each year. We settled on a bunny theme for Katelyn's birthday party. Why a bunny theme? Well, Kate's bday is March 12th and target and the dollar store are stocked full of Easter stuff, so I figured it would be a good theme! We wanted to keep it simple, so we invited a few girls over after school was out and played games and had a cupcake. Everyone had a great time!

We tried the cupcake cake and it turned out really cute! The lady at Safeway (yes, I bought it) said it was her first attempt at a bunny and I thought she did great.

One of the games I had planned was Chubby Bunny. As we got set to play it, I realized that it would be a bad idea to have the kids choke on marshmellows, so luckily Daddy was home and we made him do it! The girls thought it was hilarious!

Party girls!

Happy St Patrick's Day! The Corrigan family gathers each St Patrick's Day to enjoy a traditional Irish meal together. It's always a great time! My brother Kyle and his daughter came from Hillsboro, my parents and my sister and her family Even Build-a-bear dressd for the event!

My mom, sister and me!

March birthday girls!

For the final March event....my birthday! As usual, my birthday request involves some pampering and tranquility. Shannon joined me for a mini spa day which included a facial and a massage. We then finished the evening at PF Changs for dinner. For my actual birthday, I got to pick the dinner location (Beaches) and then we attempted to go bowling afterwards (it's something we've done for the past two years on my birthday) but apparently it was league night everywhere so we called it a night!

My girls and me at Beaches

Date Nights

One of the benefits with having two kids is the ease in which we can do one on ones with each of them. There's just something about having them alone that makes the time special and, frankly, makes for just about perfect behavior!

We were debating about whether or not Damon should take both girls to the Daddy Daughter Dance and he decided he'd like to take them each separately to get more quality time. He decided to take Megan this year and Katelyn next year. I can appreciate that, but I'm the second born and it just plain stinks to be left behind! I was praying for a special activity Damon could take Katelyn too for our first Friday Date Night and was thrilled to find that Beauty and the Beast was playing at Washougal HS, what could be better for a little four year old?? Megan and I decided we would hang out at the mall and be "mall rats." She then decided she didn't want to be a rat, so we would be "mall mice."

Katelyn and Damon before they headed off to Beauty and the Beast play

My lovely girls!

Megan had a build a bear gift card, so we took her build a bear with us to pick out an outfit. She dumped her entire piggy bank in her pink purse just in case she needed more money for the outfit!

Here's the outfit she picked out. She thought it was neat that we could make the bunny stand on the table by itself in the heels! Megan and I had THE BEST time together. It was so fun just walking around holding hands and not being rushed off to another activity. I'm pretty sure she's a "quality time" love language kid. I can't wait until our next date night together!
Katelyn and Damon also had a fab time....this little princess didn't make it all the way home before she tuckered out!

Our next Friday night consisted of Megan and Damon enjoying the Daddy Daughter Dinner Dance. What a special time they had!

Megan loves to dress up....so does her Daddy.....NOT!

This was not only hard for Daddy, but Mommy too. She eventually just carried it with her! We'll opt for the bracelet one next time!

Sister picture

Katelyn and I decided to go see Bolt at the theater. A movie is always a hit with her!

Me and my girls!

Damon took the camera with him but Megan moved just a little too fast and he never got a shot of her dancing from the front.

Daddy's girl!