School Pictures

Age 3



Age 4

Wow!  Have the school photos changed or what?  I don't recall sitting on anything except for a box draped with a blanket.  I remember black plastic combs (that you didn't share for the same reasons why kids shouldn't share combs today) and I didn't have an elegant chair with a soft ivory background!!  All I know is I had a piece of spearmint gum in my mouth that was used to bribe me to take the picture.  :)  Mia, I love you!  You look beautiful and I can only hope that you love school as much as I did.  So far, so good since she loves participating and our first parent teacher conferences were fun.  Sounds like Mia's been a good addition to her Montessori program and she's made friends quickly.  Stay cool, stay in school!

"If you..."

So, we've heard a few "threats" coming from the 3 year old this past week that I need to blog about.  I am keeping record of said "threats" so we may continue to laugh at them at a later date.

Threat #1: "If you be mean to me, my Dad will throw you in your room." (Favorite threat for Mom)
Threat #2: "If you don't give me some, you can't go to Seattle!" (Favorite threat for Dad - wonder why?)

Threat #3: "If you don't give me that, then I'm not going to play with you." (I'm sure this one is used with friends, right?)

I've asked her if she's "threatening me" and she doesn't quite get that yet, but she is certainly trying to swing a big stick at such a young age.  It's funny to watch although I know it will be a painful tactic she will use when she gets older, it sure is fun to watch her use it now.

Anyone worried like I am that Thanksgiving has come and gone?  So, I knew it would be like this.  I would go back to work, Thanksgiving would fly by and then I will wake up one day and it's 2011 and who knows where Christmas went.  Ugh, gives me a headache just thinking about it.  I'm just sayin'...only 3 1/2 weeks to Christmas!

Here's Mia enjoying her first deviled egg...it was a winner!

What is a Thanksgiving feast without olives for the fingers?

Happy 41ish!

Growing old is a hard job, but someone's got to do it!  Mia actually asked her dad over a piece of cake, "Dad, are you still old?" and my personal favorite, "Are you really old now?"  All of which Travis responded to quite well without taking it personally.  Yes, Mia, we are all "still old" and we wish we could be young like you again!

Happy Birthday, Travis!

Sisters are great!  We were able to snap these shots of the girls over the weekend before the snowfall on Monday.  We knew it would be one of our last outdoor photo options for the Fall.  Now, it's 40 degrees as a high and we're moving into winter.  Got your Christmas lights up yet?  ;)

Mia loves her school and focuses on a new letter of the alphabet each week.  Her teacher has commented on how much she loves show and tell.  Each week she picks out a toy or something that starts with the letter they are studying and she gets to share it with her class.  She's taken a mini fake iron for "I" and of course, Hello Kitty for "H".  Not sure what to take for "J" this week.  She asked for a jellyfish, but I don't think I have one of those!

Zoe is smiling like crazy these days!  She has definitely found her voice and yells and squawks quite often.  Travis only needed one week to get the routine down.  Wish I could say the same for myself.  :(  Zoe's last trip to the doctor showed that she weighs 13 lbs!  She's already wearing her 6 month clothes and really is a good baby.  There are many days when Dad says that both the girls were good for him.  Thank heavens!

Halloween 2010!

Could these two be any cuter?!!  Is this a dance picture...should I be nervous about dating already?  Good thing MJ is a good boy. :)

Halloween this year started on Thursday for Mia with a school party and I was beginning to wonder if it would ever end?!  I guess that's what you get by living in a state that NEVER celebrates the holiday on the actual holiday date.  ;)  In the meantime, Mia sure loved dressing up this year as Dorothy.  She talked about it for days, slept with Toto and clicked her ruby slipper heels in preparation for the parties.  Admittedly, when the big night came to actually hit the streets, Mia was cold and not so interested.  Ah, maybe next year!  It might be easier for us next year anyway when Travis isn't out of town (the poor boy was in San Francisco for the weekend :(...right!).  It was my first time alone with the 2 kids and let's just say I get an "F" for parenting!  Geesh, I really needed my right hand man and it showed (forgot the stroller, coats, just couldn't quite pull it all together).

Little Pumpkins party with friends from work.

[Thanks, Kristi, for taking all the fun photos and an awesome party!!]

Painted fingers & toes, a clean house and homemade lasagna...

What do they all have in common?  I came home yesterday to all three!  Mia was showing off her red fingernails and toes when I walked in the door and the house was warm with the yummy smell of dinner in the oven.  Let's just say that he is definitely fairing much better than I am with our new schedule.  This is a special call out for my husband who still impresses me after 12 years of marriage.  Thanks for being such a great support to your family and going the extra mile the past couple weeks!  We love you!!

Little Miss Zoe

I've been keeping a calendar that hangs in Zoe's room with all the "firsts" and other fun things that she does.  Here are just a couple to share with you...

1.  We've got another smiley baby!  It's been so fun to watch Zoe interact with Mia.  She loves her big sister so much and Mia knows just how to make her laugh.  I have a hard time thinking of anything better than hearing a newborn laugh!

 2.  "Give me that blankey so I can shove it in my face!"  There are a few things so far that Mia never did that Zoe does.  One is covering her face with a soft blankey to cuddle and sleep and another is drooling.  Gosh - we are already sick of the wet collars and shirts, but I have a feeling it's not going away anytime soon!

3.  Swaddle me NOT.  This is a slogan we became very familiar with soon after Zoe came home from the hospital.  Upon trying the ever-so-popular "swaddling" technique we loved with Mia, our Zoe would grunt and squirm until at least one arm was free.  We give up!  Swaddling is a thing of the past for this family.  :)

4.  Two words: Mama's Girl.  Uh-oh, is this going to be painful going back to work or what?  You have begun to show several of our friends that you have become a mama's girl by crying your guts out when someone else picks you up.  Buenos suerte, Papi!

Lastly, we were a little delayed in getting Zoe's room set up, but we finally have a nursery!  Even though we don't have your nap schedule nailed down just yet, you have a room to call your own that you may need to thank me for one day since your dad wasn't giving up his office without a fight!

Ah...Seattle.

  

The summer has come and gone and so has our extended stay in Seattle.  It was a sad, sad day when we had to pack up and leave our rented home in Mount Baker just a few miles from downtown.  Of course, it was a rainy day and as we drove out of town, we headed into the Cascade Mountains where the clouds were hovering along the mountain tops and the leaves were starting to turn red, gold and orange.  It was beautiful and the best part was that it was 64 degrees that day.  We were in a fairly good mood driving home until the temperatures started to climb....64 jumped to 71...jumped to 84...then to 91!  There was a major heat wave upon pulling up to our home and I noticed a physical *sigh* from Travis.  Our dream vacation was over.

Our favorite moments in Seattle were spent with friends, taking the 10 minute walk down to Lake Washington and going to a Mariners game anytime we wanted to.  Our house was less than 10 minutes from the ball field so we ended up catching several games...check out Dad with the girls at Safeco:

I saw this pose more than you think.  I'm so glad I have some snapshots of this!  Travis utterly enjoyed (and that's an understatement) the breeze from the front door and "his" leather chair.  I think you can even see him dreaming of his future home in Seattle in this photo!

Our favorite beach is Alki Beach and Travis was able to live his dream of walking the beagles on the boardwalk. 

 Oh, and here he is again... ;)

Thank goodness for friends who love fish and chips and dogs!  (Ok, so I'm primarily talking about Dana shown below.  Although everyone in the picture above is working hard towards becoming loyal dog lovers and owners!)

 Another great find that was close to home...Madison Park (on the water).

Woodland Park Zoo with Annette, a friend from college.  I don't think we've seen each other in the past 10 years, but she's as sweet as ever and took us to the zoo!

Mom celebrated her birthday in Seattle - thanks to Marisa who took me out for the day and to Sammy and Don for a yummy dinner!  I was spoiled!!

Loved the Ferry ride to Bainbridge Island.  That's where I'll never forget the cinnamon ice cream we enjoyed at Mora's Creamery!

 Pressing flowers at Sculpture Park.

Ah, yes.  And how can I forget the Seahawks and 49'ers game that Travis went to.  Good thing he had a buddy (John) to go with.  I don't think I could have handled the oozing testosterone and full-on DORKS like "Hawk Daddy" and his "Mini Hawk" as seen below:

I had to post this photo of Alex Smith below...check out the cheeks! (I've never liked football pants for this reason - wayyyyy too tight!!)

We saw the Kurt Cobain exhibit (creepy) at the Seattle Art Museum and then realized the next day that we had been driving by his old house almost daily which was close to where we were staying!

 Here's a memorial bench in the small park next to his house where fans leave memoirs and notes to Kurt.

One last Mariners game with Hanna and Dane. The centerfield bleachers were our favorite seats!  As you can tell, there was plenty of room to stretch out. Then again, the Mariners were a tad bit on the losing side by September so any seat was a good seat!

Ever seen the movie, "Nemo?"  Let's just say Ivars Restaurant is a full time job for the seagulls.  Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! (PS One of these birds is not like the other.  One of these birds is not the same.)

For those who didn't experience it first hand, here's the house we stayed in with some snapshots of the inside...

  

And here's one last photo from our drive home when we stopped in Boise.  This is Mia and Zoe with their Great Grandpa on Travis' side.  I thought it was amazing to get these photos since I barely knew my Grandparents and never knew my Great Grandparents.

Since we've been home, we've been watching the calendar waste away and now it's time for me to go back to work.  I was very lucky to take off 4 months and the best part was watching Zoe grow week by week!  Travis and I both feel like we were more coherent the second time around with a newborn.  We really got to enjoy day by day and I'm so glad we were able to spend some time in such a beautiful place.