For the love...

...Of the game, Zoe is making great strides!  She took two "steps" crawling tonight and it was whatever she could do to get to her castle game.  She loves the castle and it was a great motivator tonight.  *sigh*  Here we go...!

I had to throw in this picture Zoe being so sweet (above) and then the following photo (below) of Zoe screaming at the top of her lungs because I'm sure she didn't like her sister encroaching on her space.  See, Zoe has shown us a new side to babies.  She screams at the top of her lungs (sometimes for weeks at a time).  It could be a random scream, but most likely, it's in response to something she wants, doesn't get, or does NOT like.  Hmmm...we may have created a monster.  My favorite part was coming home from work and Travis telling me that he couldn't think straight anymore since Zoe chose to scream all day long.  [Love the side profile of the scream IN ACTION!]

Off to St. George again for golfing, SUN, friends, SUN and a chance to get some SUN.  ;)  Might I add, traveling with a boat load of kids (8 total) is a bit...should I say...overwhelming.  Let's just say mommy had her own meltdown in the middle of the trip, but we pulled it all together and ended up having a really fun time with our friends.

Our turtle friend at the bottom of our family shot was not too pleased.  Lo siento, Senor Tortuga!!

PS I have learned a small lesson on the purpose and excitement of a Leprechaun.  I was politely reminded about the sneaky Leprechauns who come to visit on St. Patrick's Day, how they make a mess and leave their "magic" and "tricks" at home and at school.  Good thing the Leprechaun visited Mia's school this year and reminded her parents of how much fun that can be.  Can't wait to see what that sneaky Leprechaun is up to next year!

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.

Hilde in Florida!

Several years ago, my Norwegian friend Hilde, said she was saving up for Orlando so she could take her kids to Disneyworld in 2010.  Lo and behold, I got a call a few months back saying that she's coming!  If you've met her before, she's my world traveler friend, with so many wonderful experiences (http://www.hildelillehagen.blogspot.com/ - this is the blog she created to raise money to build a women's center for expecting mothers in Africa).

We met each other in Mexico in 1996 when we were both studying abroad with our universities.  We've been dear friends over the years and have stayed in touch - so I'm glad I could take a few days off of work (even at 7 1/2 months pregnant) and fly out to meet her.  Travis and I considered taking Mia, but it worked out for the best since it was a quick trip and Travis was able to drive up to Boise to visit with his Dad while he's out West. 

Here are some photos of Hilde's family (with her sweet Cuban husband).  Let's just say, I got to practice up on my Spanish and thank goodness Hilde speaks English because the kids and other family who were staying with us ONLY spoke Norwegian.  ;)

This is the pool at the house we stayed in...do you see the exotic bird that came walking through our yard?  I think he was looking for a cool dip in the agua, if you know what I mean.  Now I understand why all their outdoor pools are covered.

I could only handle The Animal Kingdom in my current state so I didn't do much of Disneyworld.  But I spent a lot of time learning about the Cuban culture and the tamales, rice and beans and fried bananas were to die for!  Thanks, Vladi for the tips!! 

As Travis would say..."A Weekend In Paradise."

Have we mentioned how much we love Seattle? We started off the weekend in Kerry Park overlooking the city. It was actually a little chilly there (in the 70's) and we had to grab our jackets. Such a welcomed change after hot temps in Salt Lake. Although, I'm afraid we may have cursed the city because by Monday, they were experiencing record breaking heat! 100 is Seattle is almost unheard of...especially when no one has air conditioning. Ugh!

We also did a couple things this past trip that we haven't done before. We visited The Locks which is quite fascinating. This is a place with boats & ships cross to get from the Puget Sound to Lake Washington. Boats wait in a holding area while water is pumped in or released to allow the vessels to rise or be lowered to match the water level of the sound or the lake. Pretty cool - plus, it was a win-win since Mia love, love, loved seeing all the boats!

And of course, a trip to Seatlle wouldn't be complete without a visit to Safeco Field to watch the Mariners. Ichi, Ichi, Ichiro rocked the house, but we lost big time (what's new)!?! A special treat was that we were able to go with Travis' uncles. Uncle Don made her a special popcorn bowl out of his ticket to get in (very creative) and she loved all the attention. :)

Down South

We recently took a vacation to St. George with some good friends of ours...it was a special treat for Travis since he's never been there before! He's driven through, but never stayed and NEVER golfed two courses over two days. Let's just say it was a delightful Father's Day for the dad's this year.

Photos from a small hike up something they call, "Fat Man's Crack." Not sure if you know it by that name or if you're comfortable with that?
A visit at the St. George Temple to climb the steps and smell the flowers. :)