{wordless wednesday}

The boys in blue

The Blue Angels are in town and I get chills every time they fly overhead. Last year, we had the opportunity to watch their show from the Seattle Tennis Club. With cocktails in hand, we watched as the jets flew just feet above us. It was amazing!

Here are a few of the pictures I took last year....

This year, I took three little boys to a park to watch practice. Not quite as swanky as last year but the Blue Angels never fail to impress!

At the beach...

We just returned from a long weekend at the beach. Washington beaches are so different than the beaches I am accustomed to. For example, I'm not sure I've ever stepped on a Washington beach without a jacket and rain boots. Something's not right about that but I can't complain, it really is relaxing and gorgeous.

We stayed at the adorable Seastar Cottage at Seabrook. So cute! And if I find a few hundred thousand dollars sitting around I think the Huckleberry Cottage would be perfect for our family.

And I, of course, took a million photos! Here are a few...

Peacock

Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle

Hiking in the city

I took the boys for a hike through an amazing 500 acre park near our house. They walked the entire 3 mile loop with very little whining - mama is proud! Here are some photos from our hike....

(yep..it's me..taken by big kid)

up a tree

moss

fire hydrant in the woods?

Guitar party

Friday's guitar cake baking extravaganza was a success. It only took about 4 hours to create the fondant covered masterpiece. Enjoy the photos....

Sources:

Invitations and cup labels by PaperCourt Press

Cake made by moi with yummy prepared fondant from Home Cake Decoration Supply Co.

Blue and red garland tutorial found on Purl Bee

Bunting made by moi with leftover Ikea fabric

Coordinating guitar shirt designed by PaperCourt Press and printed at Zazzle

Beautiful, lovely Seattle!

There's nothing better than Seattle on a sunny, winter day!

Back from vacation

The PaperCourt family is back. What a great, relaxing vacation! Our vacation started with a 5am flight Wednesday morning. As painful as it was, it was awesome to be checked into our hotel at 9am with a full sunny day ahead of us.

sandy beach leading into the pool

The Hyatt Gainey Ranch is a perfect family destination. They had no less than five kid activities planned per day....bracelet making, Native American dancing, Birds of Prey show, bumper boat races in the pool...the list goes on. And they have a Camp Hyatt for "drop-off" opportunities! It was like a real vacation.Birds of prey show

We had two great meals in Scottsdale - Frank & Lupe's and Cowboy Ciao. Check them out if you're in the area.

Now...back to laundry.

Why I love Seattle!

Need I say more?

Weekend in the woods

I spent the weekend at an Episcopal camp outside of Gold Bar, Washington. The accommodations were basic and rustic but the surrounding beauty was amazing. The moss, rocks, fog, water, trees, water...all of it was breathtaking.

Happy New Year!

We celebrated at a kid-friendly game night at a friend's house. No games were actually played but the kids had a great time running around and watching movies. I made s'mores pops from Sandra Lee's Almost Homemade Dessert cookbook. Easy, easy!

Ingredients
Marshmallows
Crushed graham crackers
Mini chocolate morsels
Chocolate frosting
Popsicle sticks

Directions
Warm frosting for 30 seconds in the microwave. Poke stick through marshmallow then dip into the frosting. Let the excess drip off. Dip the bottom and one side of the coated marshmallow in graham cracker crumbs and the other side in mini morsels. Refrigerate until set.

My first lego house

As the mother of two boys, I thought it was very important to learn to build a lego house. Here is my first one....
It's simple and the bricks clearly don't match but it still works as a shelter for those many lego men and women that Santa brought.

Until next year Grinch...