MATTIE's NEWBORN PICS

We had these pictures taken of Mattie when she was just 10 days old. There were so many great ones, it was difficult to choose which to put in her announcement...so we posted a few of them as well. Hope you like them too! :)

click on the announcement to enlarge

MATTIE's BLESSING

While we were in Utah for Bryce's brother's wedding, we decided to take advantage of being around so many family members and bless Mattie. It was so wonderful to have Bryce's dad conduct our small meeting, to have our moms give the opening and closing prayers, to have grandfathers, fathers, brothers, cousins, and friends in the Priesthood circle, and to have our dads bear their testimonies. We love our little Mattie Gayle and are so grateful that she has such wonderful family members to help her reach her potential!

Mattie on her special day

Proud dad

Beaming mom

CJ and his little sis

Our parents, grandparents, and siblings who were there (minus Paige's sister Courtney and niece Kenya who were there as well but had to leave right after the blessing).

click on the grid to enlarge the pics

TYLER & GABY's WEDDING

Bryce's younger brother, Tyler, got married this weekend to Gaby (the sweetest girl from Ecuador), and we had the privilege of being there for their wonderful day. Their sealing ceremony in the Salt Lake temple was really special because it was done in both English and Spanish. And Gaby's family was sure to incorporate some of their Latin traditions at the reception so it was tons of fun. It was a whirlwind weekend, but it was so great to be there for Tyler and Gaby and we are so happy for them. We love you guys!!

Mattie in her little wedding outfit (it took many hours of shopping to find this perfect dress :)

CJ looked so handsome in his wedding clothes...even if he is eating M&Ms in this pic :)

lots of pics of family, dancing, and fun! click on the grid to enlarge the pics

Our little family with the happy couple

QUICK TRIP TO UTAH

We all headed to Utah this week to participate in some special events: Bryce's brother's wedding and Mattie's blessing. It was a short trip - we flew out Thursday afternoon and flew back Sunday afternoon - but we were able to be a part of some wonderful things, including Paige's sister-in-law's baby shower and seeing our good friends, Bret and Jan Allen, before they move to MI for law school. Here are just a few pics:

Mattie's first plane ride. That's pretty much what she did the whole time :)

This was the first time CJ used our portable DVD player...it was great!

Mattie and CJ with their cousin, Kenya. They LOVE her...especially CJ, if you can't tell

Kenya giving CJ some piano lessons...just one example of her being so great with him. She spoiled him rotten with attention; she even carried him everywhere, which again, he LOVED!

This trip was so jammed packed with events that we were all exhausted

We were excited that Mattie finally got to meet her Grandpa Forsgren

MATTIE - 6 WEEKS OLD

Weight - 11 lbs 3 oz (90th percentile)
Height - 22 in (75th percentile)

80th percentile for proportion of height and weight

- only waking up once a night
- smiling bigger and more frequently
- loves to make and keep eye contact
- losing her darker hair (it's being replaced by blond fuzz :)
- still HATES tummy-time
- starting to coo

- loves to hold her head up

CUTE PICS

CJ, sippin' on some hot cocoa at Donut Parade, our favorite donut shop

Just some cute pics of our little Mattie Gayle (click on the grid to elarge the pics)

Even though these aren't their Easter outfits, I thought they looked so adorable all ready for church that I had to get a snapshot

PARK MANIA

Come rain or shine, CJ wants to be outside, so we've been trying to take advantage of the nice weather Spokane has been having the last few weeks. As you can see, CJ is our parks-and-recreation boy.

click on the grid to enlarge the images

HAVE WE ALREADY REACHED THE "TERRIBLE TWOS"?

Yes, that is a bath towel that CJ shoved into the toilet...

GONZAGA INTRAMURAL SOFTBALL CHAMPS...AGAIN

Back row (L-R): Taylor North, Bryce (and CJ), Levi Adams, Caleb Mayfield, Dave Lewendowski, Beau Juassi, Nick Lemon

Front row (L-R): Shay Wells, Tyson Dobbs, Nate Anderson, Gage Arnold

EASTER WEEKEND

We had such a fun Easter this year! We started by driving out to Wenatchee on Friday to go to lunch with some lawyers from the firm that Bryce will be working at this summer, Jeffers Danielson Sonn & Aylward. Bryce's parents and sister met us there and took the kids off our hands so that we could have a peaceful lunch :). After lunch, and getting to know Wenatchee a little bit (shopping at Target, shakes at Owl's Pharmacy, and driving around some residential areas), we all headed out to Leavenworth to check into our room at the Enzian Inn. We then spent the weekend on the putting course, in the pool and hot tub, hunting for Easter eggs (multiple times), walking the Bavarian streets, and stuffing ourselves silly with yummy food and treats. When we got back to Spokane on Sunday afternoon, we headed over to our friends, Chelsey and Taylor North's house, for a wonderful Easter dinner and a fun evening with friends. Happy Easter!

click on the grids below to enlarge the pictures

CJ had tons of fun on the putting course

Daddy-daughter time after an exciting day in Leavenworth

Smallwood's Harvest had an Easter festival on Saturday that was SUPER fun

CJ enjoyed another Easter egg hunt in our hotel room Easter morning

Even though Mattie got an Easter basket too, she slept through it all :)

Evidence of how much CJ enjoyed Easter morning

All the Easter candy the kiddos got at the North's went straight to their legs...and they started jumpin' on the bed :)

All the families at the North's for Easter

The Guys (L-R): Tyson Dobbs, Levi (and Abby) Adams, Taylor North, Nick Lemon, Aaron Peterson, Bryce, Adam Snell, Nate Anderson, Beau Juassi

The Ladies (L-R): Misty Wells, Chelsey North, Erin Mayfield, Becca Adams, Heather Dobbs, Kaydra Peterson, Paige (and Mattie), Ashley Lemon, Mauressa (and London) Juassi, Polly Anderson

MATTIE - 1 MONTH OLD

Just thought I'd throw this one in too :)

ANOTHER FIRST

CJ had his first dentist appointment at the beginning of March. It seems that the discomfort of having his mouth prodded was worth it because CJ found out yesterday that he won a prize for having no cavities (free admission to Mobious, a fun kids' museum here in Spokane)! Way to go, CJ! It was his first award and, if he's like his daddy, it definitely won't be his last (and if he's like his mommy, it probably will :).

IT WAS ABOUT TIME

A couple of months ago we buzzed off CJ's duck tail he had going on the back of his head, but didn't touch the top. As you can see by the pics below, which don't do the actual length and craziness of CJ's hair justice, it was now time to cut the top too. So glad we did!

BEFORE

AFTER

HOW ARE WE SURVIVING TWO KIDS?

By making them help out a little around the house :)