Pass the frosting, please.

We love cupcakes.  Seriously, LOVE them.  Everything about them is so perfect--the ratio of frosting (buttercream only, please) to cake, the size, the colorful sprinkles, the cute wrapper that surrounds them.  They're girlie and fun and best enjoyed while soaking in a hot bubble bath.  A few weeks ago we went up to Hello, Cupcake in Tacoma.  It's an adorable little place with a great selection of delicious cupcakes.  Samantha loved everything about our trip.

 

Waiting on the goods to be delivered.

 Gettin' down to business.

Waiting for people to pass by the shop's window...

 ...so she could wave and say hi.

If you were passing by you might see...

...this chocolatey little face waving hello!

Samantha is definitely her mama's girl.  We can't really be bothered with too much "cake" in our cupcakes. 

So just for today...

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Funky fish and sugar overload.

My parents and my brother and his family came up to spend Easter weekend with us.  The weather was beautiful on Saturday so we headed out to Woodland Creek Park for a little fishing. Samantha LOVES to fish with Tony and we knew our nieces and nephew would love it too.  The kids caught a total of five fish in the couple of hours we were at the park. When we came home, Tony grilled a couple of them up (the ones who swallowed the hook just a little too deep) and I thought my mom was going to lose her lunch.  It was sick.sick.sick.  Now we didn't have any problem eating prime rib for Easter lunch so don't sign us up for PETA just yet, but there was something about those grody little fish that made you feel kind of sad.

Samantha loves the bait.

 Who said fishing can't be cute?!?

Waiting on a bite.

Cousins Tyson and Madison.

Up early on Easter morning to hunt for this...



 

 "'S' is for Samantha!"

 Jelly beans:  the breakfast of champions.

Samantha and her cousins with all of their Easter loot.

Loaded up on sugar and ready for church.

The message at church was a great one.  My favorite part was when the pastor said, "Speak silk".  Meaning let the words you speak to others be a positive reflection of where you are headed and not of the hurt and difficulty you have faced in the past.  What a great reminder.

 Back at home and ready for the egg hunt...because it's 12:00pm and surely the kids need MORE treats!

Opening eggs...

 ...and a little more snacking!

It sure was a great weekend. Watching the kids hunt for eggs brought me so much joy.  I said, "This IS what life is all about".  It doesn't get much better than seeing life through the eyes of your child.

After everyone headed back to Oregon, we snuggled in to watch our DVR'd episodes of Parenthood and Modern Family.  The season finale of Parenthood was a tear jerker.   Actually every episode is a tear jerker.  If you don't watch it already, check it out here.  It ties with Friday Night Lights for the best show on TV.  It will make you bawl your eyes out so prepare yourself.  I sure hope y'all had a wonderful Easter. 

Havaianas, Lilly, or The North Face?

Waiting, waiting, waiting.  I feel like that has been the story of our life for the past few weeks. 

Those who know me well know that patience has never been my strong suit.  Its gotten better since the birth of Samantha but generally speaking, I could use a bit a lot of improvement.  When it comes to the Army--where we are going to live, when will we be moving, what's it going to be like when we get there, will I find friends that "get" me, will Tony's job be what we thought it was going to be--I'm straight up lousy.  I get so excited to know all about our new adventure.  I want to make plans, BIG plans.  I immediately want to figure out what my house is going to look like.  Do I need to buy new stuff? Yes. Always. Should I downsize? No. Never.  Where is the nearest Nordstrom/Target/Gymboree?  What is the feeling of my new hometown?  Do we have friends who are already stationed at our new post?  What's their take on the area?    The list could go on for days.

Recently, we have been anxiously waiting to hear if Tony was selected for an exciting new job in his career.  It's something that he has been working towards and hoping for for years.  If he was so fortunate to be selected, where would we be headed? 


Would I get the chance to add to my collection of these in a paradise like Hawaii?

Or would we be making our way to the South and the land of Lilly Pulitzer where no one thinks twice when you show up to a function in something like this.

 Could it be to a place like Alaska where this is nothing out of the ordinary?  Please, God, let the answer be "no". 

The answer for us is "somewhere in between".  Literally.  Our new home will be Fort Riley, Kansas.  Middle America.  A place where you get the chance to wear your Uggs, Hunter rainboots (Sam and I will need matching ones like these), Havaianas, and cowboy boots all in the same year.  A post filled with history, tradition, and beautiful, old limestone homes with screened in porches.  The kind of porch that begs for hanging Boston ferns and a brand new Old Glory. 

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I pray our life will improve for the better at Fort Riley as it has at each duty station in the past.  I'll ask for the sense of adventure we experienced as we began our married life at Fort Benning, GA, for the pride and love we felt for what I consider to be our "forever home" at Fort Campbell, KY, for the growth in our marriage that we experienced at Fort Irwin, CA, for the time of rest we had at Fort Leavenworth, KS, and for the safe, successful deployment and growth of our family here at Fort Lewis, WA. 

We've taught Samantha to stick her pointer finger in the air and yell "BIG RED ONE!'  We'll work on the 1st Infantry Division song next.  Tony will experience tanks and Bradleys up close and personal, Sam will start pre-school, I will make our house a home, and we'll make our way through what we hope will be one of the most rewarding experiences in our life as an Army Family.  We feel blessed and so fortunate.  And I'm sure proud of that man of mine.