Tulip Time!

 It wouldn't be Spring Break in this neck of the woods without the Skagit Valley TULIP FESTIVAL!!
(it's a tradition: 2011 and 2010!)

We met up with Aunty Kelly who was down for an adventure with her favorite niece and nephew pair. This was her first trip to the tulips.

We took a tractor pull type of ride around the farm where we learned that there are over 2 MILLION tulips planted here. Wow! And this farm doesn't need to water the tulips at all as there is enough rain through here in April. 

I so badly wanted a picture of my favorite two critters sitting amongst the flowers. Dutch so badly wanted to get out of sister's grip and crawl amongst those flowers. Clementine so badly wanted to skiddaddle so she could get her face painted. I had to take pics pretty quickly. 

 

Finally, Clem got her face painted by an artist named DUTCH!

(It's a guinea pig!)

Opening Day

 Today was a glorious day to spend out on the baseball field! Clem started T-BALL this morning. To get in the spirit Dutch wore his baseball-bum onesie and cheered on big sister all the way on top of Daddy's shoulders!

 Clem took her learning very seriously.

 When Coach told her to get in the outfield in READY position, she did. And then she stayed that way for the next 15 minutes.

 And before long it was her turn at bat! She got to hit and run the bases.

Today's practice was really just a warm up for next week's big (not really) game! This girl is a natural!!

Spring Tease

Rainy Day Parade

 Saturday, we headed downtown for the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. We have gone the last few  years and always seem to catch a quick break in the March rain for the parade viewing. This year was no different! While it was dumping rain at our house, downtown Bellingham was pretty dry.

 We met up with Clem's buddy Taylor and her mom Susan. They had green glitter hair spray paint with them. So the girls took turns spraying green glitter in each other's hair.

 This is a fairly short, low key parade but you wouldn't have known it from the girls' excitement! They waited patiently for the festivities to begin. There were marching bands and horse drawn carriages as well as community organizations in this parade, but no floats, really.

We were lucky again this year as the rain stayed away until the very end when it started dumping again.

Stand up

 This weekend Dutch was introduced to his stand up activity table! There are lots of things to see and do and hear on this toy.

 Clementine came over to demonstrate and introduce baby brother to this crazy contraption. (Can you tell this was on St. Patrick's day??)

 And before long, this boy had the hang of it, all by himself.

I love his "concentrating" face. Lower lip sticking out, he completely ignores me when I try to get his attention. He is totally focused on his task.

Even when that task is tasting.

NINE MONTHS!!???!!

 My baby boy is nine months old. I have to will myself NOT to choke up when I say those words out loud. Nine whole months. My baby. Cam likes to remind me, our LAST baby (then I really can't hold back the tears).

 A month ago, the word I used to describe this boy was INTENSE. And I'm happy to say, things are WAY less intense around here and far more happy. Now the one word I would use to describe this boy is BUSY.

He is constantly moving. He never stops. Ever. For the last 3 months, he's failed to maintain his weight because he gets cardio 24 hours a day. He is busy busy busy. But oh, so very happy.

At nine months old he is able to say Mama (appropriately!) and can/has said DaDa but is pretty picky about when he'll say it. He can crawl and loves to cruise. He's eating all kinds of fruit and veggies purees and even got to experience his first frozen yogurt, thanks to Daddy. Big sister Clementine is his  hero and he wants whatever she has and attempts whatever it is she's doing. His hair is growing in thicker by the day and yes, it's totally strawberry blonde (like mama's once upon a time!).

We love this little man of ours.