Irish Dancing and St. Patricks Day

Like I mentioned in my last post, Asha really enjoys Irish Dancing. She is taking an Irish Dancing class each week, and for St. Patrick's day they had a performance downtown at the Seattle Center. This really helped us get into St. Patrick's day this year. I even got books from the library about Ireland and enjoyed learning a little bit about Ireland's history.

Here are some fun Ireland facts for all you Irish fans out there:

1. Did you know that rain falls about 150 to 225 days a year in Ireland? That makes for one green place!!

2. Did you know that ferries take the people to and from the many islands that surround Ireland? This is sounding more and more like Seattle to me!!

3. Did you know that all schools in Ireland speak Gaelic, the first official language of Ireland? I'm not sure if I have ever even heard Gaelic before. Hmmmm?

4. Did you know that potatoes have always been a large part of the Irish diet. Mashed potatoes with lots of butter is my favorite!! =)

I hope you enjoyed a few fun facts about Ireland from the, "Ireland - A Question and Answer Book" by Mary Dodson Wade.

Finally, here are some pictures of Asha at her performance on St. Patrick's Day.

After the performance we hung out down at the Seattle Center. Here is the gang!

My Birthday Girl....

Last week Asha turned 9 years old. This is her last year in the single digits....then the teen years will quickly follow. Wow! This year for her birthday we got to celebrate with my Sister and her family. Asha's desire was for all of us to go bowling and then have a big Italian dinner (lasagna and spaghetti with meatballs). Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of us bowling. Asha did pretty good for her first bowling experience! We had a few balls that ended up going the opposite direction or in a different lane, but that only added to the fun and laughter. Asha actually did so much cheering and yelling that she practically lost her voice.

I am so proud of Asha! She continues to amaze me with her tender heart, loyal personality and endless hugs. Some of the fun things that Asha really enjoys doing are: sketching houses in her sketch book, emailing and chatting on the phone with her favorite cousin, playing with her American Girl Dolls, playing with her new puppy, roller skating, changing her room around, and Irish dancing. We are truly blessed with her life!

Hiking

I wanted to add some fun pictures that I took last weekend when we went on a "short" family hike. I call it a "short" hike for 4 reasons:

1. we have a small dog who has to be carried after too long (he is such a baby)!

2. we also have a small boy that has to be carried after too long (he is really my baby).

3. we have an out of shape mother (I'm working on this)!

4. weather isn't always the best in February/March - it was rainy and windy!

I do look forward to the day when we can go for longer hikes as a family - some day.

Jeffrey was happy the hike involved water!

Asha and Luke enjoying the view!

Sweet sisters!

Oh, what a spoiled doggy! =)

Rusty's First Trip to the Beach

We had a gorgeous weekend here in Seattle. We decided to take Rusty to the beach (I think everyone in Seattle and their dog had the same idea). Here are a few pictures from our time there.

Rusty loved the beach and spent most of his time sniffing around.

The boys did their favorite thing, throwing and skipping rocks.

Woweee...that sun was really bright.

Jeffrey hitting a few balls.

Asha just loving God's creation! We love the beach and the mountains!

Welcome Rusty!!

We are proud to announce the newest member of our family. We adopted Rusty one week ago from a local pet rescue agency. He is a poodle/terrier mix and is a little over one year old. He is a very affectionate dog and loves to just sit on our lap (he could do this all day). The kids love to carry him around and treat him like a little baby. He tolerates them most of the time...except when the boys bug him when he is cozy and wants to nap. It is hard to believe that we finally have our first family pet!

Here are some of my favorite pics.

He looks so little here! Awwww...

Asha and Rusty.

Jeffrey and Rusty looking out the window.

I keep telling Matt, "A dog is man's best friend." Hee hee!

Thank God for Grandparents!!!

God gives us many gifts, but family is one that I am especially thankful for these days. Recently, Matt's Dad and Mom came for a visit from Indiana. We had some special times with them: playing the Wii, doing some light repairs around the house, eating at the Spaghetti Factory, shopping with Grandma, having them join our Bible Study, and going out for a movie. The kids are always eager to be around Grandpa and Grandma, and it's cute to watch them bond and enjoy each other. I never really had grandparents when I was growing up...they either lived super far away or had already passed. So, now I'm really beginning to see how important and special it is to have these relationships for our children. I am so thankful!

Happy New Year

I always like to make New Year resolutions, though most of them are sadly forgotten months later. Here are a few of the themes I was thinking of for 2010:

My 4 S's:

1. Take time to be Still.
2. Live Simply.
3. Smile more.
3. Stay caffeinated.

For the New Year our family went for a hike at Discovery Park in Seattle.
Here is Matt "staying caffeinated" on our hike. =)

Lana doing some off-trail climbing (Don't tell the Parks 'n Rec Staff).

We stopped at the Discovery Park Nature Center. Who would have guessed they had sharks! Aaaahhh!!!
Ever since we have moved to Seattle we have always wanted to get a picture in front of the "Sleepless in Seattle" house. Oh my goodness.....I have seen this movie 100 times. This was Tom Hank's home in the movie! Awesome!