Tulips Galore

We headed up north to the little town of Woodburn to attend the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival. We've heard so much about it and it really was spectacular! We are talking rows and rows of tulips in every color imaginable. It was beautiful! We had fun taking pictures of the kids. They were not so cooperative but we got a few good ones. There was a children's area with slides, horse swings and rubber duck races. It was really cute! It was such a gorgeous day in Oregon. Springtime here is absolutely amazing! There is color everywhere! I love it!

And so the fun begins...

Today was our first official day of potty training. Karlee has been showing all of the signs (telling me that she's pottied in her diaper, wanting to sit on the potty after the fact and going through all the motions--wadding up mounds of toilet paper, wiping, flushing and washing hands). So, I was thinking I should run with it. On Tuesday, I bought all the goods: the Princess and Cars underwear, the Elmo Potty Movie, the gummy bears. I had all morning with no where to be so I said to myself, "Let's do this thing!" Believe me, it's a day I've been dreading for a very long time. Seriously, potty training has to be the worst part of motherhood. It don't have the patience for it. But today, I put on my happy, cheerleading face and was the biggest fan ever!

It turned out to be a huge sucess. There were no accidents and Karlee even went twice. Her face completely lit up when it all came together the very first time. She got it! We made a huge deal out of it....clapped, danced around... ate treats. She loved it! Nicholas was very apprehensive about the whole thing until I brought out the jar of gummy bears, then he was all for it. This was the first day I have even got this kid to come close to the potty! Now, I just have to figure out how to get him to want to wear underwear. He prefers his diaper. It'll come, but I have a feeling it will be slow going with him. Macy has a been a huge help too! She has entitled herself to gummy bears for helping.

So, hurray for today! This potty training thing just might be okay! At least, I have a glimmer of hope that wasn't there before.

Easter Festivities

Our neighborhood had their annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday morning. Even with all the rain, it still went down. Nothing ever stops for the rain. It's just a part of life here in Oregon! I love it but I hate it! Nicholas LOVED the egg hunt! He caught on right away. Karlee was too cold to participate for very long. Macy was grouped with the older kids and only got 3 eggs! There were tears over that. Nicholas offered to share some of his. He is so sweet! The kids LOVED opening the eggs and finding candy inside. I definitely have some chocolate lovers in the family, just like their Mom! Easter candy seriously has to be the best of all the holidays! Don't you agree?

Spring Break 2010

For Spring Break, we made a trip out to the coast and spent the weekend with Mark's sister, Heather, her hubby and their cute little baby. We stayed at their timeshare in Depoe Bay. Our condo was amazing and had the most breathtaking ocean views. The waves were literally crashing outside our window. The weather was stormy which made it all the more exciting.

Macy could not get enough of her cousin,

Kennedy. Best Baby EVER!

Karlee ready for a swim.

We all laughed so hard at this pictures of Nicholas! The hand towel was a perfect fit!

We made the trip up north to tour the Tillamook Cheese Factory. The cheese samples were delicious. Of course, we had to get ice cream.

We stopped by the Air Museum to tour what was a U.S. Naval Station from 1942 to 1948. The building was enormous and use to house the blimps that were used to patrol the ocean looking for enemy submarines during WWII. The kiddos went crazy over the airplanes!

We found a paved driveway down to the beach where we sat and watched the sunset. It was beautiful!

The next day, we checked out both the Yaquina Bay and Yaquina Head lighthouses. The lighthouse at Yaquina Head is still used today. The light from a single lightbulb can be seen 21 miles away due to the mirrors and reflectors. It's amazing! Macy was tall enough to climb to the top...all 104 stairs. She did awesome!!!

The Tide Pools

The sea lions basking in the sun.

More ocean views

I always love taking pictures of the twins sleeping in the car. They were exhausted after running all day!

This was such a great trip! We hope this becomes a new Swensen/Kimber tradition.

Happy St. Patricks Day

I made these fun rainbow cupcakes for Macy's preschool class treat. I got the idea from the March Family Fun magazine. They were a little labor intensive but not too bad. The real surprise was when you cut into them and saw the rainbow. I frosted them with rainbow chip frosting. Yum!

Playing Catch Up

I can't believe I haven't posted since January. So much has happened...and to be honest, I have been too exhausted & lazy to blog about it. Life has been busy. I think two 2 year-olds will do that to you. Just to play catch up I'll sum everything up real quick.

I turned 31!!!! Maybe I shouldn't be revealing my age but I'm okay with it. I celebrated my birthday in Scottsdale, Arizona sleeping in until 10:30 AM, reading by the pool and shopping like I'd never seen a department store (which I haven't for a while). It was lovely! Mark had a dental conference he was attending there and I was lucky to be able to tag along, thanks to our sweet friends, Mary and Micah who so willingly watched our kids for us. That in itself was the best birthday gift ever! Thank you!

While we were there, we were able to meet up with the Mannings for dinner, who are close friends from dental school. They drove an hour out of their way to see us and we really appreciated it. We had so much fun catching up and reminiscing about the good old days. We had some good laughs.

Mark's brother, Matt, came to stay with us for a weekend just after returning from serving a two year mission for our church in Catania, Italy. It was so great to see him! Macy never left his side and cried the day he had to go. We took him for Gelato and then to the Oregon State girls gymnastics meet against Stanford. Macy and the twins loved it. The stadium was packed. We finally figured out what everybody does on a Friday night in Corvallis.

I got in trouble for taking this pictures. Apparently, NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY. Oops!

The kids made.....MESSES & lots of them (this is an everyday occurrence)

...and Valentine Cards

Gave each other wagon rides...

...watched T.V. (that looks a little too close)

...and played in the dirt. I can't keep them out of it and now it's on everyone's shoes and tracked through the house. I have a feeling this is just a glimpse of what summer is going to be like!

Bring on the sun!!