Ana has been so excited about being three and a half that we actually started counting down toward the big day. Well today, June 9th, is that day. So all day long I would say things like “Of course you can watch some more TV. It’s your HALF birthday today!” or “Sure, we can have a Girls Date for lunch. We have to celebrate your HALF birthday!” I had to make some treats for thank you gifts, so I decided to set a few aside and make them “half birthday treats.”

Ana and her “half birthday treats.”

The pink cake balls.

Pretending to blow out the candles.

Enjoying the first bite. After which she said, “Oh. My. God. These are so tasty!”

As is our annual tradition, once again we headed to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Woodburn. It is an amazing time and I highly recommend it if you have never gone. This year they added a few extra activities and the kiddos were happy to participate! It had rained the night before, so the fields were extra muddy (we were prepared with our rain boots!) but it was sunny (I was not prepared with sunscreen and as a result I got a lovely burn) and beautiful the entire time we were there.

All the tulip festival pictures are here. Enjoy!

I just unloaded my camera’s memory card and was shocking to see all the pictures from Easter still on there. It feels like Easter was AGES ago. Anyway, here are the major highlights of our Easter Celebrations.

First we had our annual MOMS Club Easter Egg Hunt at Foothills Park. The weather was horrible that day, but you would never know it based on the pictures. We had about 10 minutes of blue sky and no rain, so the moms hid the eggs and we did the fastest Easter Egg Hunt ever. As we were loading up in the car, the downpour of rain started. It was perfect!

The Easter Egg Hunt pictures are here.

Then we dyed Easter Eggs. This was the first year I was brave enough to do this with Ana, so we kept it pretty simple. Ana (and Sim!) had a great time!

The Easter Egg dyeing pictures are here.

Then it was actually Easter! We spent the morning at home (so the Easter Bunny could find us, of course!) then went to my Mom’s house for the afternoon.







(Last photo courtesy of Ana.)

The pictures from Easter are here.

So a million things have happened since our latest family vacation, but I thought I should at least get a few pictures up here to document the story. Sorry it’s taken so long.

Back at the end of January, we took a little family vacation down to Florida. We spent three days in Fort Lauderdale doing beachy touristy things as suggested by the experts from The Coastal Side. Then we took a 2-day cruise from Port Everglades to the Bahamas. Sim and I love cruises, but we wanted to try a short one with Ana to see how she would do (can you imagine being stuck on a boat for a week with a seasick child?!) and, of course, she did great. Then we wrapped up our vacation in Orlando where we visited some friends, went to Disney World and visited Universal Studios. We had beautiful weather (high 70’s) for most of our vacation and it was hard for all of us to come back home to reality. Here are the best pictures from our trip:
Taking flight…

At the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, Florida.

Ana helping me stir my cappuccino with a rock sugar stick. (Is she not the most beautiful girl you have ever seen??)

Stopping to do a little geocaching in West Palm Beach.

And playing at a near by park.


Sim and I on the beach. Photo courtesy of Ana.

My family.

Sim and Ana spontaneously deciding to go in the ocean (hence a pant-less Ana).

Ana and I testing out the beds on our cruise ship.

Ana enjoying the bunk bed set up while Sim cowers lays below.

Ready to set sail on our cruise ship and enjoying a tropical drink. (Ana’s is non-alcoholic, of course.)


Ana and Sim dancing to “No Woman, No Cry” on the top deck of the cruise ship.

One big happy family, long-arm style.

Sim and Ana ready to board our glass bottom boat tour which was one of our shore excursions in the Bahamas.

Aboard the glass bottom boat in the Bahamas.

Ana and I watching the tropical fish amidst the coral reefs.

My family, lounging in a hammock, at the Cable Beach Resort in the Bahamas.

Doesn’t she look like she belongs here??

In the middle of paradise.

Ana and I swimming in the warm ocean.

And building sand castles on the white sandy beach.

We made it to Disney World!

Awww. We are a real-life happily ever after.

Seriously. Could this kid be any cuter?!?

Ready to watch Mickey’s PhilharMagic 3-D show with our Florida friends Brian, Maxim, and Jessica.

No trip to Disney is complete without a Princess Dining Experience!

Ana meeting Cinderella at Cinderella’s Royal Table.

And Belle (in her BLUE dress)…

And Snow White…

And Sleeping Beauty…

And Jasmine!

All the boys were given swords and the girls were given wands!

Ana managed to gleam on to Sim’s sword.

And of course we had to get Ana’s face painted!

We watched the SpectroMagic light parade…

and the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular fireworks.

After which Ana promptly passed out.

Our final day in Florida we went to Universal Studios Orlando.

Our family in front of the giant Universal Globe.

Ana met Dora!

And Homer Simpson!

And Ana fell in love with E.T.

Sim got a blast from the past (or Back to the Future).

Then we all buckled up for the flight home.

You can see all the pictures from our vacation here. Enjoy!

One of the ladies in my Stroller Strides class just send around a link to this adorable site, Sport Princess, that I think is pure genius! Who doesn’t want to teach their daughters that they can be girly and frilly yet sporty and hardcore?! It’s the perfect balance. I highly recommend you check out their site.

Anyone who knows anything about Ana, knows that she is GIRL-Y. Imagine that was written in hot pink, swirly letters adorned with sparkly rhinestones and it still wouldn’t be as girly as Ana. Yet, she still loves to hang out with the guys. Sure, she may pretend the sword she’s swinging is a magic wand, and she’s the only one in her soccer class sporting a skirt, but it works for her. That’s just who she is. And I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Last weekend I went to Seattle for a couple days to a Heritage Makers conference. While I was away, Sim and Ana attended the Daddy Daughter Dinner Dance that is put on each year through the Tualatin Hills Parks and Rec. I couldn’t have planned it better than to have a special activity for them to do while I was gone.

Days prior to the event, Ana was getting very excited about getting all dressed up. She informed me she was going to wear her party dress (naturally) and her fancy green shoes. Sim told me that he originally planned to wear khakis and a button up, but when Ana saw his clothing selection she said, “No, Daddy. You need to wear a tuxedo.” Lucky for Sim he had a suit hanging in his closet, Ana picked out his tie and that was good enough for her!

When they got to the Cedar Hills Rec Center (where the event was held), one of the lovely employees took a picture of each “couple” as they entered the dance.


Ana, of course, had a great time tearing it up on the dance floor.



They had an amazing time, and even saw some friends at the dance. Ana danced with her good friend Lauren, while Sim chatted with her dad, Chris.


From the pictures, as well as the stories they told me later, I’d say they had a very special evening. And I am certain they made memories that will last a lifetime.