Thursday, July 28, 2011

Come out and play with me!

Hello, Hello! Today it is SO muggy outside! I'm inside where it's nice and cool! I am not complaining about the weather...I love a little mugginess, however, my hair hates it! haha! Maybe I'm really just hiding out so no one sees the Afro I have going on! :)

Last week my mom hosted a kid's day camp at her house. Every morning kids came from around the neighborhood to play games, sing songs, and read stories! It was a blast!! Destiny loved getting to know some of the neighbor kids and especially enjoyed some time with her cousin Kaylee!

Addi, Destiny, and Kaylee!


Two teenage boys came to the house to present the program and there were 8 little girlies that attended. They did fun things like, hulahooping contests...





songs with really silly actions!


sitting an enjoying some stories in the summer sun!





cartwheel contests...


all things girly and fun! They had team names like, "The Pinky Purples" and "The Peace Signs". haha!


Their all time fave was the parachute! So much fun!






My girls really loved jumping into a routine of having children to play with for the first week of us being in Williston! We had a blast meeting some neighbor kids! It was a really special week!






Today we were on our way to visit my Grandma and had a flat tire so a quick change of plans and we are hanging at home! Much to do!




Enjoy today!

Slip n' Slide

Hey friends!

It's another beautiful sun shiny day here and I am loving it! I love the heat!

The other day, my sister hosted a slip n' slide party for my girls! It was a blast!

Destiny hopped in right away.



Addi was a bit scared of the water at first but really enjoyed it once she was in it. After each time she went through it, she would run over to me and say, "swimming!" with a delighted look on her face!



Bekki's patio. My sister and her husband have a fantastic backyard (a nice house too! They just bought it!) Their yard is a yard to be jealous of...shade, lush grass, apple and plum trees, raspberries bushes and grape vines were all on the property before they bought it! Lucky!

Addi enjoyed feasting on peas from Auntie Bekki's garden (so did I!)



We had a perfectly wonderful afternoon "swimming" topped off with delicious cookie salad made by my sis! This is the stuff that memories are made of!


Enjoy today!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Only in Williston...

Good morning! It's beautiful and sunny here! I can't wait to get outside for a Dakota morning run!


After arriving in Williston, Addi helped Grandma water her flowers before she even went inside the house!
Grandma has 2 little watering cans, one for each of my girls. They are such great helpers!

We surprised my Great Auntie by stopping over to visit. She still had curlers in her hair and the girls found that quite curious! At one point, Addi asked for curlers in her hair. Both of my girls tried out curlers (and liked it!)

My Great Auntie and Destiny with a couple of curlers in.

Auntie Bekki reading to Addi.

Dest playing games on Bek's phone!

Auntie Bekki made a special bedroom just for the girls at her house. She laid TONS of birthday gifts on their bed and had a sleepover with Destiny. (Addi wasn't quite ready to sleep over! She still needed mommy!)

Bubble-bearded Addi taking a bath at Auntie Bekki's house.

Addi's first time using a drinking fountain. She was SO pleased with herself!



As you can see, we have had a VERY eventful first week of being here! It's been a blast to catch up with friends and family here in Williston. I feel so fortunate to be surrounded by such wonderful people. {don't worry, Aussie friends, I miss you guys too! but I certainly don't miss the Canberra cold weather!}




Since Williston has changed SO MUCH since I lived here, I wanted to start a segment on the blog called "Only in Williston..." I'll take a picture of something I find curious and post it on the blog. Here is the first one:

Now, I've heard of a Whatchamacallit, but never a Thingamajig! I know this picture probably isn't true to being "only in Williston", but that's where I found it and I did think it was curious!



I'm off for my run before the sun gets too HOT!


Enjoy today!

Oh, it's time to say good-bye to our friends...

g'day friends! That's my combo of American and Australian English :)

How is life for you? Today has been extra great! I started the day with my sister's last spin class that she will ever teach (well, maybe not EVER, but not for a while anyways). It was fun and I really enjoyed working out hard first thing in the morning!

Today I have pictures from our last day in Washington and our transition to ND.

Good-byes to Auntie Lili a.k.a. the BEST hostess EVER!

Addi sharing some snobby joes with Auntie Lili!

One last tea party lunch with cousin Jordy.

A quick swing in the sunshine.

Jordy on her skateboard down the hill!

A game of fetch with the dogs. A delicious lunch with my Auntie Dianne and...

Off we went to the ferry! This is my rig. double stroller, suitcase on back, I also had a grocery bag of food and a large purse! yikes!

*Destiny is pretending to be Addi with the pacifier in her mouth...She's not still addicted! ha!

Seattle was BEAUTIFUL! We stopped off at the train station to check our baggage and then we hit the town! First stop was the waterfall park near Pioneer Square.

Nearby, Matt and I got engaged nearly 8 years ago! This is Pioneer Square.

Yarn Graffiti in Pioneer Square.

Cookies from the bakery that we stop at prior to riding on the train. (There seems to be a strong theme of bakeries in my life...hmmm...)

Waiting to get on the train.

Addi playing with her chalk board toy on the train.


We had a great {long} ride here, but we are happy that we finally made it to North Dakota! It's warm and sunshiny, I'm surrounded by family and I couldn't ask for more!!!


I can't wait to share our adventures in ND with you!


Enjoy today!

Saturday, July 23, 2011

It was kind of a blur...

First stop: Washington!!

After a few LONG flights, we landed in a place that looked a bit more like "home"...evergreens, drizzle, gray skies, driving on the right side of the road...home. It was Seattle, indeed!

Our time in Kitsap and Seattle was kind of a blur. Unfortunately, my camera captured this point in time as a "blur" too! Please excuse the blurry pictures but I must share about my good times with good friends and family.

Destiny with best buddy Jordy and miss Addi in the background. I even caught Destiny singing the "my best friend" song to sweet JordyFlo!



There were so many babies, toddlers, and kiddos there to make the party a total blast! We felt so welcome and so at home with our Washington family!!





The kids had so much fun running over the the nearby park and jumping on the bed...they even emptied my suitcase for me (that's too sweet for words !)

We dined on some of my favorites. Pizza from Central Market, cookies from Monica's Waterfront Bakery, and chip and dips from Costco. Ah-mazing!

You just can't beat fun times with your cousins!


Even the pups joined in on the fun. Blurry Tommy.

and Miss Emmie the Dog!

Auntie O and the newest bub!

Me! (I think Washington looks good on me!!...another baby looks good on my too...hint hint to the hubby! haha!)

There was a Whole Lotta chattin' going on! It was so much fun to have a quick "catch-up" with the fam! I am looking forward to seeing them again in Sept!




But for now, I am enjoying the North Dakota heat! I did a two mile walk around noon today. I was sweating like a monkey by the end of it! Thank goodness I put sunscreen on!


Enjoy Today!

Tea Parties and Sleep Overs

Good morning, Friends!

I woke early this morning to go to the Farmer's Market, but the girls are still asleep so I am hanging out at home. {bummer} So I guess this is as good of time as any to blog!

This morning I have pictures of a really special relationship. My sweet Destiny has a best buddy named Jordy. Jordy is my cousin's daughter and lives in Washington. They are so cute together....to prove it, I have pictures!

Every time they see each other, they give one another a HUGE hug!



Here is my BFF, Lili and cousin Mac (Jordy's older brother) playing Battleship. (Auntie Dianne is in the back ground! Miss you and love you, all!!)

Auntie Lili reading to the girlies.

Addi playing with Emmie the dog.

We had a sleep over one night and the girls watched a movie and ate popcorn.

They were so cute all cuddled up in bed.

Best Friends!

We also had multiple tea parties (apple juice parties) at this cute little table! The girls enjoyed serving themselves tea, fruit and cupcakes!



I am so happy that Destiny and Jordy have a beautiful bond like they do.



When we left Washington, Destiny was just crying because she knew that was the last time she would see Jordy for a long time. It breaks my heart because I know exactly how she feels. I, too, was leaving my best friend in Washington and miss her like crazy already!



Well, the girls are up and now it's time to get on with my day!


Enjoy today!