What We've Been Up To

Boy--long time, no blog! We've been busy....here's what we've been doing...

Climbing in cupboards....

Making space suits and leg casts out of paper......

And trying on Halloween costumes that we've outgrown.

Okay, we have done a few other things too. Here's a quick run down (remember this is my scrapbook, so bear with me!)

* In February, Dan and I spent a few days in Vegas for a continuing education conference. Dan's folks graciously watched the kids for us (thank you!!!). It was refreshing to have a change of pace, for me to get "caught up" (at least a little), see old friends, and have real actual adult time. Very nice. We missed the kids, so we came back. I was surprised though at how weird it was to not have messes to clean up all day. That, by far, was the nicest break. On a down side, Vegas is spendy, even for cheapskates! What happened to the cheap buffets? We spoiled ourselves and caught a Cirque De Soliel show (the clothed kind). It was amazing!!! The stage alone was unbelievable. Well worth the $$$!

The kids had a fantastic time with G& G. They also indulged a bit with a trip to the zoo, the discovery center, and a "pigout" at the bakery. The hot tub was a highlight too. They went nuts. You'd have thought it was the Summer Olympics!

* On February 24, Ben turned 6. We had a small party with a few of his friends. The boys that came all live in town, so they were amused most of the time riding around the yard on the "tractor" and eating pixie sticks. There's a true VanderStelt party for ya!

* In March, we had lots of company. Marie, the kids, and Aunt Martha came for a few days. It's always nice to have them here. Marie is a good friend in addition to being my sister-in-law. The cousins LOVE to play together. And it was good to get to visit with Aunt Martha too. Thankfully she is used working with small kids all day, so eight of them under the age of 8 didn't seem to phase her much....or at least she hid it well!!

* Also in March, we drove to Tacoma to visit my family and celebrate my Grandmother's birthday. She just turned 89. It was good to see everyone and visit a while. We took a Sunday afternoon to explore Pacific Science Center. I haven't been there since I was a kid. It was really cool. Ben loved the dinosuars and robots. The girls were tickled with the butterfly house. It was a great trip.