We’re all moved in to our new home! Pictures to come as soon as we unearth the cord to load pictures onto the computer:).

This town isn’t big enough for the both of us…

(Jude eating a tortilla in his box tunnel last week)

The boxes are out and starting to get filled, and we are so excited for our upcoming move at the end of this week. It’s been in the 90’s here and we’ve had a lot of time outside. On Friday Andrew and Jude gave me my late Mother’s day gift- a picnic in the park! Sushi, chilled chardonnay, chocolate, and the 2 most wonderful guys I know! On Saturday we picked Andrew’s younger brother Ben up, he’ll be staying for the week after spending some time in Cambodia. We’re stoked to spend time with him and show him the area, and Jude has found his new buddy- he loves talking to Ben and showing him all his cars:). We went to an arena football game yesterday afternoon and then joined thousands of people in down town Spokane for the Torch light parade. Good times!

Sunny days are here!!! Jude & I walked to the park in the middle of our town & met up with friends for a fun day out. Here’s some pics of Jude enjoying the park:

An airplane passed by- Jude loves to watch them fly & talk about them.
He’s also conquered his hesitations about the tunnels at the playground:).

Taking a break with Superman. The little one is now sleeping & I’m off to get some sun on my white legs while reading on the back porch. My latest read- borrowed from my Mum- ‘Last Child In the Woods, Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder’, very interesting, I’ll have to write more on it when finished.

Today I’m thankful for my amazing Mama, who is full of joy, unconditional love, generosity, fun, is a wonderful mom, gramma, and teacher. Thanks for your friendship Mom- you are priceless.

My sweet Jude made me a mommy almost a year & a half ago now… I’m forever
grateful for his life and for Andrew encouraging and allowing me to be a stay at home mom.

I just might never pay full price for anything again. Once you start thriftin’, it becomes a habit. Or a hobby? Maybe both. Anyway- unless something in a non-thrift store is worth the price, I’ll be filling our new house with new-to-us finds that have history! Theres a city wide garage sale coming up that I’ll be hunting for treasures for our home at. We’ve been so blessed by great apartments since we’ve been married, but our upcoming move is so exciting- room to grow our family & have lots of people over.

One of the best things about having cheaper, second hand stuff is the feeling that we can really live in our home. What do I want from our home? What do I want people do feel when they come over? Comfortable. At home. Like they can let out a deep breath & just be. And fun. Lots of fun, laughter, not worrying about messing stuff up because it’s just that- stuff. We like to take care of the things we do have, but most of all, we want to live fully & let the stuff of our lives take backseat to the fun we’re having & the memories we’re creating.

Here’s the fun finds from Jude & I’s recent thrift store shopping trip:

A wooden puzzle of Noah’s ark, a U.S. puzzle to learn the states, & a Richard Scary book- Jude loves these- for 50 cents each. We also found a laundry basket which Jude decided was a great place to read, a clock with temp. gauge, a little candle holder, & 6 little dessert plates for 25 cents each. I found 2 pictures also- one ABC print for Jude’s new room, & a picture of a house in Italy for our guest room, as well as a lamp base & a bag of white outlet & switch plate covers for $1 to replace the old yellowy ones in our house.

There’s a phrase that says ‘Live simply, so that others may simply live’, but recently I found one similar that I like better- ‘Live simply so you can give generously’, I love that & want my life to reflect this. It’s not about the bigger & better- it’s about the people we love & living our lives to the fullest.

If a stay-at-home mom could be compensated in dollars rather than personal satisfaction and unconditional love, she’d rake in a nifty sum of nearly $117,000 a year. Click here for the full article.

Finally spring! Last weekend we went back to a park we’d explored a bit when it was still snowy, and found the flowers blooming, had a blast walking all over the park, playing on the playground with Jude, and just being together in the sunshine.

The park has several different areas- a lilac garden, rose garden, duck pond, playground, and several others including a Japanese garden- pictured above.