Settling In

Life is slowly starting to feel normal again... I have just been in a fog since I moved to Washington a little over a month ago, but I can feel that clearing up. We closed on our house finally and we are in the process of moving in... The whole ordeal with buying the house has been pretty stressful, but in the end all is well...
All of our furniture is still in storage and we won't get any of it until next Thursday, but in the meantime, I just thought I would decorate a little bit for Christmas:) With all of the craziness of moving, Christmas seems to have really snuck up on me this year and I haven't really had the chance to appreciate the season like I normally do, but it isn't too late. Tomorrow we are going to my parent's house until Christmas and I am really looking forward to that...

Diaper Days

I love letting Cole crawl around the house in his diaper... I think he likes it too, because when I am changing him, the second his diaper is on he crawls away as fast as he can. In this picture, he has just dumped out his sippy cup on the kitchen floor and is splashing around in the water.
I am grateful for the perspective that Cole gives me on life. Things have been pretty crazy/stressful lately between selling our house in Utah and rushing to buy a house here, but I cannot just sit and stress because Cole needs me and I don't know what I would do without him.

Into Everything

Cole's favorite place to play these days is the kitchen... I try to keep the cupboards cleaned out so there isn't any real damage to be done:)

Trader Joe's

These cookies are delicious! They taste a lot like an Oreo...but... they have crushed candy cane pieces in the cream... I found them at my new favorite place to shop... Trader Joe's. Have you ever heard of it? I went there for the first time this past Saturday and I was loving my life. It is a really small store, but packed with specialty items that you can't really find anywhere else. Plus... they have really good prices... I think I am going to be shopping there from now on.

Crazy Cole

Today has been one of those days where Cole is refusing to nap... He woke up this morning at 7 and it is now 2 and he still hasn't napped... but instead of getting cranky, he has just been silly all afternoon and we've been having a lot of fun together. He was laughing so hard at times, that his face was bright red... Just thought I'd share the cuteness...

Grandpa's Boys

Being home for Thanksgiving was so much fun. Cole loved all the space at my parent's house that he had to crawl around and explore and he loved playing with his cousin Ukiah, the cutie on the left. Ukiah was very nice and shared his toys and his grandpa with Cole... I cannot wait until Cole is a little older and they can play together even more.

Apple Blossom Lane

I can finally post real pictures again! The usb cord for my camera got packed accidentally and I didn't know that it is a generic item that you can get just about anywhere... Once Sean pointed that out to me I went and got one, so here I am... I took these pictures while we were in the process of leaving our house. Just yesterday, I went to get my ring cleaned and the lady had to look up the warranty on my ring and she saw my address next to my name and said, "Apple Blossom Lane... that is a cute address..." It made me sad to think that it isn't really my address anymore because I did love the street's name. But the house is still mine for 11 more days... we are closing on it on December 13th and then hopefully closing on our house here on December 20th... I am crossing my fingers that everything goes smoothly and that our buyer's don't change their mind about our house:)

I've Been Tagged

6 Random Facts About Me:

1. I have no sense of direction. This has always been apparent to me, but never as much as it is now that I am trying to navigate my way around an area as complicated as Western Washington.

2. I talk to my mom at least once every day... all thanks to at&t.

3. I get stressed out way too easily... I am working on it, really, I am, but it's hard for me. I've always known that my "stresses" often seem ridiculous to other people, and it never occurred to me before, but it was recently suggested to me, to try to view them exactly as that and that maybe looking at them through other people's eyes will help me to calm down and realize what a big deal my "problems" aren't.

4. I love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups... just candy in general, but my love for Reese's has recently been renewed while I was at my parent's house for Thanksgiving and my mom had a jar of them that I could not resist.

5. I have a bright PINK Discover card and it makes me happy every time I use it.

6. I don't get cold very easily. I used to work in a warehouse that didn't really have a heater and all winter long everyone else came to work all bundled up and I never really felt the need... I was still fine in a t-shirt. I think stressing out all the time keeps me warm or something, who knows, but I just thought I'd share:)


*I am now tagging my sister-in-law, Dana and my husband, Sean*

Homesick

It feels good to finally feel better. My first week here in Washington was pretty miserable... We got here on a Friday and I was busy making "to-do" lists for Saturday, determined to get moved in here as quickly as possible. It didn't happen. I woke up Saturday morning feeling disgustingly ill and that feeling didn't go away until I went to the Tri-Cities for thanksgiving... I felt instantly better. I think a huge part of my sickness was homesickness and being able to spend some time with family for the holiday really helped. Cole is sleeping right now, but I am going to get out of the house today and explore as soon as he wakes up.

Monkey Face

This picture of Cole makes me laugh every time I look at it so I thought I would share... He went to the doctor for his 9 month check up a couple of days ago... he weighs 21 lbs and is 30 inches tall... I cannot believe that he is almost 1! Time flies...

House Hunting Trip

Sean and I went to Washington this weekend to look for houses... I found the house I want the first day we were there... so with that taken care of, we had time to explore downtown Seattle. I love Farmer's Markets... isn't this produce beautiful?

We ate at Fisherman's on the waterfront. They redo their menu daily, depending on what they have caught fresh... it was delicious and I loved the view from our table.

I cannot believe I am going to be living so close to views like this...

and to streets like this... I have always loved "old-fashioned" roads, so I had to take a picture of Sean and I walking on this old street near Pike Place Market. I am trying to focus on the positives about living in western Washington, because lately I have wondered what have I gotten myself into... but this weekend really helped me to forget all my worries... I think this move is going to be a good thing for my family~

A Dinosaur Named Cole

I had so much fun dressing Cole up for Halloween... He looked so cute crawling around the house in his costume... his little dinosaur tail shaking back and forth as he pulled himself along... I cannot wait until next year when I can actually take him trick-or-treating.

Chili's with Claire

Last night I went to Barnes & Noble and Chili's with my niece Claire. She is one of my favorite people and I am so glad I got to hang out with her one on one, because I cannot even remember the last time we did, if ever...

Brittany aka Britz

This picture was taken when I first moved to Utah outside of mine and Brittany's apartment.

Me and Brittany being Jol.

Brittany in my basement... one of many sleepovers we've had since I've moved in to this house.

Leaving Brittany is one of the hardest parts about leaving Utah. When I first moved here she let me stay with her at her apartment, she got me a job where she worked, she even let me eat her food. She has looked out for me my entire life and I am really nervous that she is going to be so far away from me.

Adventures in Crawling

Cole has discovered a new mode of transportation for his favorite toys. I was sitting in the office today and in he crawls carrying this toy in his mouth. It was so cute, I almost cried... I am such a sap:)

Moving

It has been forever since I last blogged, because I have been overwhelmed with moving. Sean accepted an offer at Microsoft so it looks like I am going to be a Washingtonian once again. I am excited to move... it's what I have been wanting, but I think there are a few things that I didn't consider when this crazy idea of going back to Washington first came to me. One... I am not going to have any immediate family nearby... here in Utah I am surrounded by family and I love it. Two... I love my house here and I cannot take it with me. Three... I am horrible at navigating cities and I just got comfortable with Utah and now I have to start all over again. Change is not something I am good at. In fact, change makes me sick to my stomach. Maybe this move is good for me... I think the more things change in our lives the easier it gets. Besides... I will still have my favorite two people in the world with me...it'll be okay:)

Adventures in the Grass

I took Cole for a walk today and it was so nice outside that I decided to stay out with him for a little while and let him play in our front yard... I am so glad I did... I think he enjoys the sunshine as much as I do. It was so fun to watch him crawl around outside... there are few things that make me happier than being outside on a sunny day... it was perfect!

Little Hand

Cole has gotten into the habit of shutting himself into rooms lately... This morning I was trying to get into the room after he'd shut me out and as I was opening the door I just saw his little hand creep around the door and it melted my heart.

The Way We Were

These pictures are of me and my sisters with our mom and dad in a park in Murray, Utah about 23 years ago... I am pretty sure that I confiscated these pictures from my parents at a young age and they have always been a couple of my favorites. It is fun for me to see my parents at an age that I cannot remember them ever being... it's crazy to think that someday Cole will look back at all the pictures that I take of me and him and think the same thing...

My Big Sis

This is one of my favorite pictures of me and my oldest sister, Diana. She lives in Washington and I don't get to see her nearly as often as I would like...

Marky-Marc

Last night I had a dream that my little brother was home from Brazil... I haven't seen him in almost two years and last night's dream was just one of many I have had about him since he has been gone. In my family there are 4 kids and in our younger years we kind of separated into 2s' when we were playing together... Diana played with Brittany and I played with Marcus. He is one of the funniest people I know... no one has a sense of humor quite like him and I miss laughing with him. But it won't be long now... he is coming home in February and I cannot wait!

The Many Faces of Cole

I feel like I know Cole better than I have ever known anyone else and that no one else will ever know him as well as I do... maybe that is just part of being a mom. I realized though, that I usually only put pictures of him smiling on my blog and so I thought it was time to share just a few of the many sides of Cole I see every day.


Surprised Cole

Coy Cole

Grouchy Cole

Meek Cole

Tired Cole