Happy 3-Year Anniversary to Us!

To celebrate our third wedding anniversary, we booked a 24-hr, kid-free, spa getaway! Grandma and Grandpa Lund offered to come stay with the girls while we snuck away. DEAL!

Two years ago for our first anniversary, we visited a beautiful, relaxing spa/hotel in on the water up near Bellingham. At the time, I was 8 weeks' pregnant and very nauseous, and Matt had the flu, so we didn't fully enjoy the trip. So we decided to try it again this year.

We booked a night at the Chrysalis Inn, complete with massage appointments and a pedicure for myself. After our massages we found an amazing little tapas restaurant in town for dinner. It was so luxurious to sit and enjoy a lengthy meal at a grown-up restaurant. The food was amazing, and it reminded us of the many tapas we enjoyed during our honeymoon in Spain.

The beautiful view from our suite.

The next day we slept in, ate a great breakfast, and headed back toward Seattle (with one quick stop at the outlet mall). We were very excited to get home and see the girls, but we did appreciate our time away. We got a little greedy and started dreaming of two nights away. We might need to call for back-up for Grandma and Grandpa, though. The girls have a LOT of energy!

The Best of Friends

The girls continue to be the best of friends. They call out after one another, play games with each other, give each other kisses, talk to each other in their cribs at bedtime, and only bicker occasionally. It's really special to see the unique bond they have.

Recently, I picked them up from day care, and they were put in different classrooms for the last 15 min of the day due to staff availability. I picked up Mia first, and she was sitting alone in a chair by the door, crying, looking out the window to the hallway. Then we went to pick up Emma, and she was sitting in the same sort of chair, by the door, also crying. Once they saw each other they were happy again!

Enjoy these recent photos of the girls in action:

A dual shrug. They're up to something...

Lunch time! The girls dine at their own table.

Story time! Em & M read books in their seats in the living room.

The girls love books! Here they are reading one morning on the couch.

Chillin' on a bench at the park.

Em & M make up a game at the playground.

Play "Date" with Jack

We went over to the Roddas for a BBQ last weekend, and the kids had a great time playing together! Jack was particularly "friendly" with the girls, much to Matt's dismay. He's now going to have to keep his eye on "that Rodda boy."

Side note: the girls loved Jack's toy so much that we got them one of their own. It's a HUGE hit!

Bay Area Escape

I had a wonderful weekend in the Bay Area celebrating Courtney and Kevin's engagement with family and friends! Donna and Arlie spent the weekend with Matt and the girls to lend some extra hands. (Thank you!)

It had been about 3 years since I'd been down to the area, and it was great to be back. The McAlpins live in San Carlos, just south of San Francisco. Kevin's parents, Pat and Dave, were gracious hosts. It was wonderful to finally meet them. (Hi to Dave, a loyal blog follower!) I also got to meet Kevin's sister, Jenna and her new husband.

The girls (Courtney, Mom, Pat, Jenna, Lindsay and me) went wedding dress shopping in "the city" on Saturday at two lovely boutiques. Courtney said "yes to the dress" so it was a successful trip! We all had a lovely lunch outside at a bistro on Maiden Lane. I love San Francisco, and it was great to be back there, even just for a day.

Courtney and Kevin at their party with the yummy It's-It ice cream sandwiches. (There are probably still some left in Pat and Dave's freezer.)

The Goodson Girls (has a better ring than the Lund/McAlpin girls)

The bride's proud parents: Bob & Jeannie, Kathy & George

The happy couple with Kevin's parents, Dave and Pat.

Aren't they cute?

The weekend was a lot of fun, and while I admit it was nice to get away, I did miss Matt and the girls. Matt sent lots of photos and videos via iPhone, which I appreciated. And it felt pretty awesome to come home after a couple days to be tackled and smothered with kisses from the girls. That whole "absence makes the heart go fonder" thing is really true.

Got Milk?

As seen on Facebook...

On the way back from a recent trip to the mall, I gave the girls sippy cups of milk since it was close to both lunch and nap time.

Things went sour when Mia decided it would be fun to spit out her milk, as well as shake the sippy cup to make a milk fountain. What one does, the other does, so Emma quickly caught on and did the same. Of course, spitting milk at each other is even more fun than spitting it on yourself, so the milk fight began.

Mia was definitely the instigator, but Emma was happy to play along.

Mia was absolutely covered in milk!

Emma thought the whole thing was just hilarious.

And instead of hurrying home to take the milk away and reprimand them, I grabbed my phone and took photos. I'm sure that's what parenting experts would recommend. I should add, however, that the girls have not been able to drink milk in the car since.

Keepin' Cool in the Backyard

Emma and Mia love their water table!

Mia closely guards her Ritz Bits.

Run, Emma, run!

Cary and Janis came up for a visit. The girls had changed just a bit since Cary last saw them at Christmas.

The girls love an audience, that's for sure.

Splash, splash, splash!

Look at those golden locks!

Beatin' the Heat

It's HOT in the city! We escaped our stuffy house and headed to the backyard (nice and close) to cool off. The girls had a great time splashing at their water table, playing hoops and having a picnic lunch.

We are having so much fun with them, and are in awe of all they learn each day. Just this weekend Mia started singing "Row, row, row your boat" (the "row, row, row" part anyway) and Emma has mastered wrestling with Daddy. Both of them picked up basketball quickly - so much so, that we might need a second ball.

Enjoy this video from our day!