She's Only Happy In the Sun

More Easter

2011-04-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

I think Easter is officially my favorite holiday, it represents Hope and the Atonement and everything that makes life meaningful and I love the opportunity that the holiday gives me to focus on that. It was so much fun to decorate last night, knowing that it would make the kids happy to wake up and see something out of the ordinary in the kitchen. I was hoping this would help set the tone of good moods for the day and it did...

Not my favorite picture, but getting the two of them in a picture together is pretty difficult and I wanted to document the day and this is all I have, so here it is...

Randomness and A Little Bit of Easter

2011-04-24T19:47:00.000-07:00

This little corner of the couch is Lola's favorite place in the entire house... Whenever she climbs in to it, she giggles to herself and gets a big smile on her face...

She loves it so much, she thought it would be nice to share it with her baby...

Cole loves cupcakes, just the frosting, but I thought it would be fun to help him decorate some for Easter... I LOVE being able to do things like that with him. His therapy has helped him so much to be able to follow some instructions...

It was very windy the other day and we were outside playing and Cole decided to run back inside to grab the kite he had made earlier that day in school... It is always amazing to see him make connections between things like the wind and getting his kite. It really is a blessing parenting a child with a disability... when you don't have any way of knowing what skills they'll be able to obtain and you see them make so much progress, it feels like you're a part of a miracle.

Lola easter-egg-hunted solo today. Apparently, Cole wasn't such a fan of the wind today, but Lola was quite the little pro. She didn't even have to be shown what to do, she just got the concept. Watching her develop is amazing! She is learning to talk and I am loving every minute of it. I remember waiting for Cole to start talking and he never really did, so every word out of her mouth fills me with so much hope.

Life As We Know It

2011-03-31T19:59:00.001-07:00

Life with Cole is never dull... Sometimes I get so caught up in the whirlwind that is our daily life and I forget to take a step back and see how far we have come together. Having a child with autism is HARD, I would never deny that, but overall it is a blessing. For Cole's sake, I really wish I could take it away, but I know that he is who he is supposed to be and I am so grateful for all of the miracles that I get witness as he progresses.

This is about as close as playing together as these two get... but even this is major progress. For a long time Cole could not be in the same room as Lola without panicking, but the more predictable she becomes, the easier she is on Cole.

This is Cole on Christmas morning. This was the first year that he seemed at all aware that it was a special day. We had been building it up, telling him that Santa Claus was coming and that he would bring Cole cookies, because nothing gets Cole more excited than cookies... and when he saw the plate of cookies on Christmas morning, I think he made the connection I was trying to help him make.

He LOVES having family in town. He loves nothing more than a room full of people (adults- kids make him nervous), all paying attention to him, and family is definitely good for that. He particularly loved having Marcus in town over Christmas break... If you know Cole, then you know how amazing it is to see him this calm...

I love his face in this picture... I feel like it captures who he is. He is SO sweet and just wants to be good. His frustrations come from his difficultly understanding the expectations that other people understand innately. I am so blessed to have him and Lola in my life... I know that they are helping me become the person I was always meant to be. Life is good.

Lola

2011-03-31T19:39:00.002-07:00

It's crazy to think that I haven't posted in a year! I was getting on to do a long overdue post, but I didn't realize it had been that long... Time flies I guess:) I thought this little girl deserved a post all her own. I am so glad that she came to our family. It is hard to picture life before she was around.

I love her face! She is so sweet... Sometimes I feel bad that she has it pretty hard in some ways, but I know that she was meant for our family. She has such a strong spirit and she is so full of life and personality. I love watching her emerge as she gets older...

One of her favorite past-times... exploring. She loves to play around the entertainment center and pull out dvds, empty full containers of wipes and use the tv stand as a teether. Lola loves to be busy and she wants me to do everything with her, so she keeps me busy too:)

This was taken on her first birthday... I love my little girl. She is such a gift!

7 Weeks

2010-03-31T08:44:00.000-07:00

As of yesterday, this little girl is officially 7 weeks old, but it is already hard to remember what life was like without her. She loves tummy time, baths, clean diapers, hearing the sound of her brother's voice, (don't we all:) and sleeping in her dad's arms. Lola is so much different from Cole... It is so interesting to realize how particular babies are, even at such a young age. She doesn't seem to share Cole's love for music, which I thought all babies liked, but apparently that is not the case. Lately, I hear Cole singing to himself before he falls asleep. He takes tunes from songs he knows and throws in his own words. He also loves singing at church, the words aren't always decipherable, but he seems to know what he is saying. Therapy is going really well for him... he loves the people he works with and he is communicating a little bit more all the time. I am so grateful for the therapists and teachers that work with Cole... It is amazing how people who were strangers a few months ago, were able to come in and form a bond with Cole and help him in ways I was unable to. He is a lucky boy to have so many people that care about and love him.

She Is Here!

2010-02-14T16:59:00.000-08:00

Lola Lynn was born at 5:04 pm on the 9th of February...

Here she is checking me out for the first time...

And I think she has decided that she likes me:)

She is so sweet and I am glad she is finally here! I cannot believe how much life can change in just 5 days. Cole is adjusting better than I expected him to, but I think it is just going to take him some time to get used to all of the newness.

First Day of School

2010-01-25T07:51:00.000-08:00

A very tired Cole started school this morning... I cannot believe having him all to myself every day has already come and gone. I am very grateful though for the programs that our school district has and I know once he adjusts he will love preschool.

This is just another random picture from his birthday last week... I love his little face. I am so glad that he gets to start school before Lola arrives sometime in the next couple weeks... I really didn't want him to associate being sent to school with Lola. He is going to be such a sweet big brother. Lately he has been kissing my stomach and saying, "baby?" He is the best...

Happy 3rd Birthday

2010-01-20T19:44:00.000-08:00

I had no idea how quickly this baby boy...

... would turn in to this little man. We have had such a good day together - the three of us ate lunch at McDonalds, played at Jump Planet, shopped at Target, played at the park, jumped off couches and ate homemade mac and cheese for dinner... all of Cole's favorite things. I say it all the time, but it is so hard to imagine life before Cole. Didn't I miss him? The last year has definitely been a challenging one, but I am so excited for all the things life has in store for Cole.

Leaves and Accessories

2009-10-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

Cole loves to accessorize... His item of choice these days is this hat. He loves to put in on when we're going to run errands, I think he knows how cute he looks in it...

His other favorite is my sunglasses. I bought him a pair of his own, but apparently he prefers the over-sized look.

We have been really busy lately with therapy, and when we have been at home it has usually been raining, but today we had some rain-free down time, so we made the most of it. Cole spent his time gathering leaves...

And tossing them up in the air... I am glad he loves leaves as much as I do. There is just something about all things fall that I find cozy and calming...

Cole plotting his next move... He is rarely standing still, especially when we are outside, but he did pause for a moment after throwing leaves to decide where to go next... I love his face. I cannot believe he is going to be a big brother in just over 3 months and he will also be starting preschool at the same time... life as we know it is about to change forever. Once he adjusts, I know he is going to love having a little sister. We are naming her Lola after Cole's favorite cartoon character. 3 months feels like forever in terms of being miserably pregnant, but I know the time is going to fly by, so I am trying to make the most of the rest of our alone time.

Cheese

2009-06-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

Cole has become quite the little poser over the last couple of days... he will bring me my camera and start saying "cheese..." and wait for me to take his picture. I love it, because I am finally able to get a bunch of shots of him smiling.

I love this picture, because it is obvious he is trying really hard to keep still and pose and holding still is pretty rare for him...

He kept wanting me to take pictures of his belly... so I am putting this one on here, because I am pretty sure it is what he wanted. Who wouldn't want to flaunt that cute belly?

My boys, "cheesing" together...

Spring Sunshine

2009-06-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

Spring has been so much nicer to us this year than it was last year... Cole and I have been able to go to the park just about everyday and he is loving all of the outside time.

On Saturday we went to the U Village... we had never been there before... I am in love with that place. Not only does it have just about all of my favorite stores, but it is in the prettiest part of Seattle and close to some really amazing old houses that I loved driving past.

This is Cole expressing his excitement at getting to be a big brother. We are expecting baby Bergam #2 this winter and we couldn't be more excited. Life is good...

Comfortable

2009-04-02T15:29:00.000-07:00

Cole loves to fall asleep on his floor, so every night I go into his room to move him to his bed... but last night, when I saw this little arrangement he had made for himself, I could not bring myself to move him. I love how deliberately he placed the pillows all around himself... He has been a very busy little guy lately... Two weeks ago he started pre-preschool and he is loving it. On school days, when I tell him where he is going, he gets very excited and runs down the stairs to leave... It is hard to be away from him but at the same time I try to make the most of the free time that it gives me.

What We Have Been Up To...

2009-02-23T10:44:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we celebrated Sean's 26th birthday... It wasn't that different from every other day, since it was Sunday, but Cole and I tried to spoil him by making his favorite foods and making sure that he didn't have to change too many diapers:) We tried to take a serious family picture to document the occasion, but since Cole was content on making silly faces, Sean and I decided to join him.

Cole has perfected his Aunt Brittany's smile... for any of you who read my blog and knew Brittany when she was a little girl, this smile will look very familiar to you...

I love the content look on his face in this picture... lately, he loves to play with his animals and he always makes them run around mid-air... I have tried to teach him different animal sounds, but he seems to think that all animals growl...

And he has been learning his letters... if you look at his lips in this picture, you can see that he is saying the letter 'A'...

He started swimming lessons today and I was thrilled with how much he enjoyed the water. Until now, he had pretty much zero pool experience, so I was nervous about how he was going to do, but he did not want to get out of the water when the lesson was over, so I am taking that as a sign that he loved it. It is insane how much he seems to change from week to week now that he is 2. We have also started lessons at The Little Gym, but I don't have any pictures of that, since cameras aren't allowed there... but he loves climbing around there on all of the mats and toys that they have. It is definitely a challenge keeping him busy every day, but I am finding out that there are a lot of fun things to do with him around here and that is making it a lot easier.

4 Years Ago...

2009-02-05T12:35:00.000-08:00

It is crazy how much we have grown together over the last four years... I cannot think of anyone else I would rather have by my side to go through all the ups and downs of life with.

This is Cole Attempting to Pose for the Camera

2009-01-22T09:40:00.000-08:00

Every time I told him to say cheese, he would throw his arms back and strike this pose. I am not sure what look he was going for, but at least he was consistent.

I Am Glad He Is Here

2009-01-20T08:14:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe Cole has already been with me for 2 years! Labor was a nightmare, as is evidenced by my appearance, but I love this picture, because it is of the first time I held him and I love the look in his little eyes...

When Cole turned 1, I thought he seemed so huge, but now looking back he seems so small...

Maybe that is because of how much he has grown in the last year... It seems like Cole has wanted to be 2 for quite some time and he is already almost too big for his size 2t clothes. Two years has flown by, but at the same time it is weird to think that I ever had a life without Cole. Sometimes I look back at the years before I had him and it seems strange to me that I didn't miss him then. I love my little guy...

Long Week

2008-12-16T08:49:00.000-08:00

This is the face of a very sick boy... Cole has had a crazy bug for a little over a week now and I think he is about as fed up with being sick as I am with washing throw-up laundry.

But he is never too sick to stare at himself in the mirror... This is an easy way for me to get ready for the day... I let him play with water and sit on the counter next to me... it works every time:)

Please ignore the mess in the background, but I wanted to show how Cole has been tromping around the house in these rain boots... I think they are the cutest shoes ever.

On a Particularly Fussy Day...

2008-11-24T11:47:00.000-08:00

... I love to unload all of these balls in the guest room and let Cole go crazy...

It is amazing how quickly something so simple can turn his day around...

...and even now, an hour later, I can hear his laughter spilling out of that room.

First Date

2008-11-24T11:18:00.000-08:00

Friday night I got to go out on a date with my favorite person... it was the first "baby-sitter" date we have ever been on. It was weird, but relaxing to be out and about with just the two of us... I am so in love with him...

Children's Museum

2008-11-24T07:58:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, we went to the Seattle Children's Museum... It was so much fun. I am pretty sure that Sean and I enjoyed ourselves just about as much as Cole did. This is Cole right outside of the museum looking around at Seattle Center... I think he loved seeing all the open space.

While inside the museum, Cole acted like he owned the place... I love the confidence he has. He just strolled from display to display like he had been there a million times before.

The Goldilocks room was my favorite, but maybe that is because I am a sucker for fairy tales... I kept trying to get Cole to sit in these chairs, but he apparently wasn't as impressed with them as I was:)

The jungle was Cole's favorite display... we walked through these "vines" over and over again... there is nothing better than watching him have a good time. We have been meaning to take him to that museum forever, so I am glad we finally got around to it and we will definitely return many times in the years to come:)

Cookies

2008-11-12T15:32:00.000-08:00

Cole's bedroom door stayed shut until almost 10 this morning... and that is after he went to bed at just after 7 last night... he must be growing again! It was nice to be able to get a lot done this morning before he even woke up.

This afternoon I made these iced pumpkin cookies... they are SO delicious...

... they even inspired Cole to say a new word... "Cookie." Hearing his sweet little voice utter words just warms my heart.

A Little Late...

2008-11-04T12:15:00.000-08:00

...but here is Cole in his Halloween costume. He was smiling just a few moments before this picture was taken, but he was mad that we weren't giving him the camera. He can be so fragile at times:)

Here he is today, looking pretty pleased with himself for being so good for me while we were in Target... I wonder sometimes if he thinks that store is his second home... we spend way too much time there.

Isn't it cute? I love that it looks like a barn... I miss having a Super Target, but at least this one is fun to look at.

While we were there, I bought Cole a few Hot Wheels. (Thanks for the suggestion Dana .) He loves them! The look of concentration on his face while he watches it go down the "ramp," is the best part.

A Good Start

2008-11-03T08:05:00.000-08:00

I love daylight savings! I have always considered myself to be a morning person, but lately I have just not been with it... But thanks to the change in time, I was able to go to sleep early last night and I have been up since 3 a.m. and I am loving it. It's crazy how much easier it is to get things done without an almost-two-year-old pulling me all over the place. Hopefully, getting up insanely early this morning will help me to get to sleep early tonight and I will get back to my old schedule and have a few hours to myself in the morning, every morning.

The Everyday

2008-10-28T16:30:00.000-07:00

I have been having the best day... and that has a lot to do with this cute little guy. Hanging out with him really is one of my favorite things. It is hard to express all of the ways that he has changed my life, but I think one of the biggest things he has changed, is my attitude towards the "everyday-have-to-do-over-and-over-again" type of things. I can remember before he was born, being constantly bored and complaining about the lack of excitement I had in my life. I cannot say that I have a lot of thrills in my life now, but there is something about getting to take care of Cole, all of the repetition that is involved with helping him, that has helped me to see that happiness, for me at least, is found in the "everyday." Today I got to...

... watch him build the biggest lego tower he has ever built...

...help him "splash," as he calls it, around in the bark...

...watch him go down the slide over and over again...

...and I got to go for a walk with him and look at all the leaves on the ground. I think fall is my new favorite season. Being surrounded by trees makes for an amazing experience when the leaves start changing colors. I love it here!

Favor

2008-10-25T22:04:00.001-07:00

Sean asked me if I would paste a link to his blog since it has been so long since he has posted and therefore people have probably given up looking. Here it is:

http://radicaltherapy.blogspot.com/

I Don't Know Why...

2008-10-21T11:31:00.000-07:00

...I haven't blogged in forever. I haven't been that great about taking my camera with me when we go out and about these days. Maybe that is because Cole weighs more than 30 lbs and I still have to carry him around when we go somewhere, so the extra half a pound from my camera might just put me over my limit:) Even though Cole can walk just fine on his own, he likes to run off any time he sees open space and so that can be pretty dangerous in a parking lot. We joined the YMCA recently, so other than taking him there so he can learn to play with other kids, Cole spends his days...

Coloring (very intensely) ...

and dragging this car all over the house... One of his other favorite things to do lately,

is to have me draw shapes and then he tells me what they are... it is quite fun... I love this little guy~

It's Hard to Believe...

2008-10-09T22:14:00.000-07:00

... That Cole is sleeping in a real bed! It went a lot better than I thought it would too... he needed a little bit of reassurance, but for his first night sleeping in a big-boy-bed I think he did pretty good...

Growing Up

2008-10-08T11:07:00.000-07:00

Cole has been pretty easy to entertain lately... He loves using my firm box as a slide. He climbs up the back and then says "wee..." as he slides down...

I love that he will actually pose for pictures every once in awhile...

He loves to play in the fridge... I was making dinner and I found him stacking my yogurt.

This is the face Cole reserves for when he is very pleased with himself for destroying something... like the yogurt tower he had just knocked over.

What Cole has been up to lately...

2008-09-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

The usual... hanging out in his room and sucking his thumb...

Feeding himself all the time... He has known how to for quite awhile, but until recently, he would always refuse to eat on his own...

Helping me reorganize my dresser...

Feeding and quacking at the ducks... He does a very impressive duck impersonation...

Running away from me and keeping me very busy...Whenever he sees open space he just takes off running as if he knows exactly where he is going. It is very cute to watch but a little nerve-racking when there are bike riders all around...

Weekend-O-Fun

2008-09-21T07:58:00.000-07:00

I saw this with my mom on Friday... amazing! I didn't want it to end. The cast was flawless...

Before the show started, my mom and I spent several hours walking around downtown and shopping. It was so much fun... My mom really is the best... I love spending time with her and I cannot remember the last time we had a day like this with just the two of us.

Here we are posing with "Christine and Raoul" outside of the theatre before the show started...

On Saturday, my mom and I drove to Auburn to hang out with some of our life-long friends, the Phelans. This is my mom with Sam... I love Sam for how good of a friend she has always been to my mom. They always seem to do a lot of laughing when they get together. And thanks to them...

...We are friends. I have known this girl since I was 7 years old and I am so happy to live close to her again. We all spent the day walking around cute little shops in Sumner and then we had lunch at a bakery there which was delicious. It really was a great weekend...

Sister in Seattle

2008-09-18T16:36:00.000-07:00

I am sad because I just dropped this girl off at the airport... she really is one of my favorite people and it has been a lot of fun having her here. There are a million things to love about Brittany and I just feel lucky because she is my sister. We miss you already Brit...

Vintage Find

2008-09-10T20:26:00.000-07:00

I am in love with this vintage toddler desk that I found at a yard sale last weekend... It is stamped underneath with the date June 1953... crazy! I love old things and I love the design of it... it really is perfect for keeping a toddler with a short attention span in one place for a little while.

Cole is going to get a lot of use out of it.... he seems to be quite happy to just sit there and color, with...

Or without paper... I think he got tired of trying to hold the paper in place, but no worries... the crayons are completely washable.

Random Happiness

2008-09-09T15:23:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago it seemed like fall had moved on in but it looks like summer is making a brief comeback. I am trying to get out and enjoy as much of the sunshine as I can, while I can... These pictures really aren't connected in any way other than the fact that they all represent things that bring me happiness. Like this cute, old schoolhouse and bell that are at my favorite park...

Pushing Cole in the swing and listening to him say, "Wee..." every time he comes toward me for another push...

Watching Sean play with Cole...

Cole making faces at me while he tries to get out of eating his lunch...

The view I have on the jogging trail. Really... it is a lot easier to motivate myself to get out and get moving when I know that I get to come here. There is just something about being surrounded by trees that makes me feel so peaceful.

Cole sucking his thumb... I know it may not be good for his teeth or whatever but it really melts my heart every time I catch a glimpse of this little guy with his thumb in his mouth.

"New" Table

2008-08-29T11:20:00.000-07:00

There is just something about a piece of furniture that looks like it has been around for a hundred years that warms my heart...

Accident

2008-08-27T17:01:00.000-07:00

Cole will not be sitting up at the counter anymore... Saturday night he was eating his dinner at the counter, strapped in his booster seat and he pushed his legs off the island and threw his chair backwards. I saw it happening but was too far away to do anything to stop it... it was awful to watch... There is nothing worse than watching your baby get hurt. He is okay now, but he has a concussion so we are watching him closely.

We are going to have to get a kitchen table because he has not been eating very well with his highchair tray... I think he is protesting, probably because he is pretty uncomfortable... he looks way too big for it with his long legs dangling out...

Perfect

2008-08-23T17:25:00.000-07:00

This adorable magnet board arrived in my mailbox today... I was thrilled! My Aunt Patsy sent it to me... she knows me so well, because it is perfect for my kitchen. So perfect, in fact, that...

It matches these towels that I ordered for myself, that arrived at the exact same time! Thank you Patsy... you made my day!

Bothell Landing

2008-08-21T09:18:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have just been getting the urge to run... so I decided to make it a family affair and got a jogging stroller so Sean and I could go together at night. Cole loved it! He was pushing the stroller around the house before we took it out and he seemed to like riding in it.

We went to Bothell Landing because they have a great trail. They have mile markers divided into quarter miles so it makes it easier to push myself when I can see my progress. The park there is unbelievable... my pictures really don't do it any justice... but being at that park makes me wish I could live outdoors. The park is enormous and surrounding it are old houses that have been updated and they are used for information centers and some of them have little shops inside.

The park has an enormous creek and the jogging trail goes all along it... it really is breathtaking in real-life to be this surrounded by trees and water. Even though it is in downtown Bothell, you feel completely secluded from the city.

The bridge at the back of this picture crosses the creek to the jogging trail... I have a thing for bridges... After researching online, I found out that they host all kinds of musical events here in the summer - hence the amphitheater... Those will be fun to attend if we stay here long enough for Cole's attention span to increase to a point to where he would allow it:)

Four

2008-08-20T20:12:00.000-07:00

A LIST OF FOUR

-My Aunt Patsy had this on her blog and it looked like fun-

1. four family members: Brittany, Dana, Haley, Sean

2. four people who email me regularly :
I don't think I have four people... hmm... Sean, Nicole, Brittany and Dana... okay that was a stretch, but they do email me sometimes:)

3. four of my favorite places to eat:
Macaroni Grill, Red Robin, Rock Bottom, Cheesecake Factory

4. four places i would rather be right now:
Nordstrom, Anthropologie, London, Utah

5. four people i think will respond:
Brittany, Dana, Haley, Mom
6. four tv shows i watch over and over:
The Office, Charlie and Lola, Monk, Lost

7. four of your favorite pass times:
reading blogs, playing with Cole, going for walks, watching cooking shows

Marcus Comes to Town

2008-08-17T20:59:00.001-07:00

My little brother came to visit us this weekend so we could see him before he moves to Utah in a couple weeks...

We had a lot of fun... We went downtown to eat at Rock Bottom, which seems to be my favorite restaurant these days. Sean and Marcus always seem to gang up on me whenever they get together... they were trying to act like they didn't want to pose for this picture, but I think they were just being difficult on purpose:)

I love spending time with Marcus... there really just isn't anyone else I know quite like him...He brings out a side of me that really only exists around him... I really like being his big sister... Sean took this picture of us while we were at Microsoft. I had never been past the parking lot of the campus that Sean works on and I am glad that we went to visit it, because it is gorgeous... I had no idea...

Cole wasted no time at all... as soon as he saw this water, he walked right in as if he had been there a thousand times before...

Back from Utah

2008-08-14T09:08:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun in Utah. I had forgotten what it was like to be able to see for miles into the distance... It is crazy how quickly I have gotten used to the tunnel vision here that is created by all of the trees.

Visiting family and friends was the focus of our trip and it was a blast. I am horrible at remembering to take pictures, so I don't have a good way to document most of the fun times that we had, but I do have some pictures of these cute kids...

Cole loved playing with his cousins. Whitney was SO good with him! One time, I walked back into her room to see what they were up to and she was singing to him... she is adorable!

I love this picture of Cole with Brittany... he adores her! Maybe he remembers that she watched him for a whole week when he was only 4 months old... all I know is that he always seems to remember her, even though we don't get to see each other that often. He says her name and that is the only name I have heard him ever say other than mine and Sean's...

Friends and Flowers

2008-08-05T15:48:00.000-07:00

Our friends, Bob and Caity, came into town this weekend to celebrate their second wedding anniversary...

It was so much fun to have them stay with us and to get to spend some time with them... they are always fun to be around... and thoughtful... they brought me these gorgeous flowers... the yellowness made me so happy and matched the hutch in my kitchen perfectly.

As usual, I didn't take enough pictures... but I did manage to get some last night of our outing to Coldstone...

Cole loved having Bob and Caity around to hang out with... Please note, that in both of these pictures he is staring intensely across the table at Caity... I think he has a thing for pretty girls with red hair... he seemed to have a lot of fun playing with her and cried when she left. I hope that they can come back again sometime...

Mohawk

2008-08-03T10:19:00.001-07:00

I had so much fun playing with Cole's hair yesterday... I thought I would try a mohawk...

He seemed to like it...

I am not sure if he has figured out that he is looking at himself when he looks in the mirror...

But it was fun to watch him interact with whoever he thought he was playing with...

And to see how sweet he can be... because he usually refuses to give me kisses but apparently he was pretty impressed with himself...

Finally!

2008-08-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

We started this project almost two months ago, but we finally got around to finishing painting our bedroom... well, almost finishing... we still have one more wall to do:) I am in love with the color... It is exactly how I had pictured it in my mind.

Abacus

2008-08-01T12:12:00.000-07:00

Sean's mom got Cole this abacus... it is his new favorite toy and really was the perfect present for him because it contains his three favorite things: color, balls, and sorting. He sits and plays with it for long stretches of time.

I love watching him play with it, because he is so meticulous about the way he moves the balls around... He moves them one at a time and seems to have a system to it. He reminds me a lot of his dad...

I just thought I would include this picture of Cole from the other day where he woke up earlier than usual and just wanted to hang out in my bed with me... It made my day:)

New Couches

2008-07-30T15:11:00.000-07:00

My new couches arrived safe and sound today... without any damage done to our house, like the last time we had furniture delivered. I am quite excited to finally have them here and I am looking forward to finding decorations to fill in the rest of the rooms with now that I have the main pieces to work with. The sectional is in our family room...

and these green couches are in our living room. I love color... it just makes me happy... now I just need to add some to the walls.

18 Month Check Up

2008-07-29T19:07:00.001-07:00

It is amazing how quickly Cole went from this...

...to this... I remember when Cole was born with Jaundice and he had to stay in that awful bili-bed all day, every day for the first week of his life and all I wanted was just wanted to hold him and it was so hard to not be able to. I find myself feeling the same way these days, only he isn't stuck in a bed, he is running all over the house and he just has so much to do that he doesn't have time to sit and let me hold him...He had his 18 month check up today and at the end we scheduled his 2 year check up... 2 years? Is he really that close to being 2? It's hard to believe... He isn't getting any smaller, that is certain. He weighed in at 27 lbs and is 35 inches tall...

Last night, Cole came running towards me with a piece of paper and a marker... I am glad he brought it to me and didn't take matters into his own hands. I sat him at his desk and this is what he created... (I helped him with the name part:) I just thought I would add it to my blog, because I want to remember little things like this forever...

Sick Again...

2008-07-23T09:15:00.000-07:00

While I was gone last night, Cole was refusing to eat and being pretty fussy so Sean decided to have the doctor visit. It turns out he has some type of viral throat infection... there isn't really anything we can give him to make it better so we'll just have to wait it out and try to make him as comfortable as possible in the meantime... poor little guy...

Girl's Knight

2008-07-23T08:49:00.000-07:00

Last night was so much fun... I hung out with one of my favorite and oldest friends... Autumn. I met this girl when I was 7 and living in Auburn. She still lives there with her cute, little, 2-year-old son, Brayden... I am so glad that I live close to her again. We ate dinner at Red Robin and then went and saw this...

AMAZING... Definitely one I could watch over and over again...

Company Picnic

2008-07-20T09:54:00.000-07:00

This was the view from the company picnic... It was amazing! The drive out to the farm where it was located was gorgeous... I am not sure why they refer to it as the company picnic, because it was much more like a carnival. There was SO much to do, it was almost overwhelming. Most of the kids activities are designed for kids older than Cole, but it was good to see what there will be for him to do next year.

The company picnic takes place on 3 different days and you sign up for the day that you want to attend.... it is a good thing because there were SO many people there. This picture of all the cars doesn't do it justice... this is just one side but the cars stretched on like this for acres and acres in every direction. I have never before seen as many cars at one time as I did there.

I wish I had taken more pictures at the actual party, but I was a little overwhelmed as I tend to get in crowds, but it was definitely something I am going to be looking forward to going to again next summer. Cole did really well and held out for several hours until he crashed and fell asleep as we were strolling him to the car. He never falls asleep in his stroller so this was a BIG relief to me, since he was pretty tired and we still had a long ways to go before we got home.

I love spending time with this guy... He really is my favorite person and I am glad that he is mine~ It was so nice to get out and about and do something different from our usual Saturday routine.

I Love Fridays...

2008-07-18T21:13:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went to Red Robin for dinner. Cole has been transitioning from two naps a day to only one, so he has been a little cranky in the evenings and refusing to eat dinner pretty much every night. So today, after a long week of fussy meal-times, we decided to break it up a bit and see if he did better going out to eat. It worked pretty well... as soon as Cole got his hands on this balloon he was loving life and ate his mac and cheese without any problems...

It is always fun to be out-and-about with Cole... I remember when he was first born I was so terrified that I would never get to have quality time with Sean again, but it is amazing how much better just about everything is with Cole there.

On the way home, we stopped at Trader Joe's to pick up one of our favorite foods... banana waffles... they are SO good!

And we discovered these... Mini Mint Ice Cream Mouthfuls... they are even more delicious than they sound. I can definitely see myself eating a lot of these in the future:) I love Trader Joe's! It seems like there is always some new treat to try every time we're in there.

While Sean and I devoured the ice cream sandwiches, Cole was quite content just to suck his thumb... Tomorrow we are going to the Microsoft Company Picnic... Hopefully I will have pictures of it to post tomorrow! I love weekends...

Looking Out My Window

2008-07-16T23:55:00.000-07:00

Pretty much... I have decided that I love it here... Getting used to the rain took me a little while, but I think all the trees make it well worth it. My whole life I have daydreamed about living in the English countryside... and although Bothell, Washington isn't exactly British... when I look out my window and see trees like this it just makes me happy~

Cleaning Out My Closet

2008-07-16T23:41:00.001-07:00

I have had a love-hate relationship with all of the closets in my house for quite awhile now. I love that they have given me a place to hide all of my no-other-place-to-put-it type of junk... but I hate how every time I open one of them I am reminded of and overwhelmed by all of the clutter I have waiting for me... Tonight I decided to do something about it. I started with my least favorite closet... the one in my loft and I turned it around pretty quickly which inspired me to start on the rest of them. That is my goal for this week... we'll see how it goes~

Good Times

2008-07-13T20:51:00.000-07:00

This weekend was so much fun for many reasons... my parents coming to visit being one of them... I didn't get any pictures of their visit here, but we had a really good time. I am glad that I get to spend more time with them than I did when I lived in Utah.

Another highlight of my weekend was seeing one of my closest childhood friends... another event from which I sadly remain picture-less, but I am blogging about it nonetheless:) She is in town visiting her sister who just had a baby and it was SO good to see her again. This picture was taken of us my senior year of high school when we had zero-hour yearbook together. I have known this girl since we were toddlers and she is a part of who I am... there is just something about the people that you knew when you were young...

The above pictures are both from what was probably Cole's highlight of the weekend... playing in his new blow-up pool. Sadly, I have never taken this little guy to a real swimming pool, but he was quite content with this one. He played in it for about an hour and was sad when it was time to get out... I am looking forward to spending a lot of time outside with him this week since the pool was a success.

Birthday

2008-06-30T11:15:00.001-07:00

We celebrated my birthday on Saturday... The babysitter we were going to get fell through so we decided to head to Seattle and celebrate it as a family...

I love the drive to Seattle... looking out over the water just makes me happy...

We ate on 5th Avenue at Rock Bottom. The food was delicious and way more than we could eat... This is Sean's meat loaf... yum...

And this is my chicken fried chicken. I cannot believe how enormous this piece of chicken was... it was SO good!

Every time we drive past these houses on our way into Seattle I try to snap a picture of them and I finally got one... I love how they are tucked in behind the trees... I think I am in love with craftsman style houses... The more I get out and about the more I realize that I love living here and I am happy that we decided to come back to Washington... All in all I had a great birthday and I am glad I got to spend it with my two favorite people and that the sun was shining~

Good Times

2008-06-27T16:36:00.001-07:00

Today was just an all around good day... the sun was shining, Cole took a long first nap... When he woke up from his nap, we went to McDonalds for lunch. It is amazing how having him with me takes something as boring and uneventful as lunch at McDonalds and turns it in to a good time. He loves to people watch and it is fun to watch him try to interact with people as they walk by. After lunch, we went to the park and we kicked a ball around... Cole is so much fun to play with and I am so glad he is mine forever.

Sean is taking me out for my birthday tomorrow and we are leaving Cole with a non-family-babysitter for the first time... it is ridiculous how nervous I am... She is a really nice girl who is in our ward at church and only lives 4 houses up the street from us... it really doesn't get any better than that, so I need to just calm down and look forward to going on a date with Sean for the first time in a long time~

Seattle Times

2008-06-20T22:28:00.000-07:00

Friday we went to the Seattle Times grounds and played with bubbles with Cole. The grounds there are gorgeous... it is mainly just grass with a thin walking path and lots of trees... the perfect place really for Cole to run around...

Bubbles are a new thing for him and it is so cute watching him try to catch them.

I love taking advantage of the "good" weather and being outside as much as possible. I am glad that even though I don't have much of a yard, there are a lot of places like this close by to take Cole~

Scribble

2008-06-20T22:21:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago at Cole's 15 month check-up, the nurse was reading through a list of milestones that Cole was supposed to have reached and when he came to "scribbling," I felt a little silly because I had never even thought to try to teach Cole to scribble... I just assumed he was too young, so since then I have been letting Cole scribble and he loves it...

Adventures in Bark

2008-06-14T14:59:00.000-07:00

Cole's favorite toy at the park has always been the bark... We hadn't been to the park in awhile so we took him to our neighborhood park this afternoon and not much has changed...

He still prefers gathering bark on the slide to actually sliding down the slide...

And when he climbs onto the toys it is only to find a new place to gather bark... In this picture he is taking the pile of bark that he put onto the step and dropping it piece by piece through the cracks... it was fun to watch him explore~

Country Village

2008-06-14T14:40:00.001-07:00

We have been wanting to check out this place for a long time... it is only about 5 minutes from our house and every time we drive past it we want to stop... so we finally did... The village is full of cute stores and restaurants and reminded me a lot of Gardner Village in Utah, it just wasn't quite as big.

This was my favorite store... it was full of adorable decorations and I love the name... I think I will be stopping there often as I finish decorating my house.

We didn't venture in to this store but I loved the name and the fact that it is in a tower... I would love to shop there for my wedding if I was a bride again.

The grounds were gorgeous to walk through... there was a little creek running through the entire village and a duck pond underneath this bridge...

They even have a mini train for kid train rides and I am going to take Cole back some day to do this when he is a little older... It was just fun to be out and about and now I am happy to be home~

200 Have and Have Nots...

2008-06-07T16:25:00.000-07:00

I have been seeing this list on a lot of the blogs that I read and I thought it would be fun to do. The things I have done are in purple~

1. Touched an iceberg 2. Slept under the stars 3. Been a part of a hockey fight 4. Changed a baby's diaper... 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity 7. Swam with wild dolphins 8. Climbed a mountain 9. Held a tarantula 10. Said "I love you" and meant it 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise15. Seen the Northern Lights 16. Gone to a huge sports game 17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty 18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables 19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope 20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment 21. Had a pillow fight 22. Bet on a winning horse 23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill 24. Built a snow fort 25. Held a lamb 26. Gone skinny dipping 27. Taken an ice cold bath 28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar 29. Seen a total eclipse 30. Ridden a roller coaster 31. Hit a home run 32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking... all the time:) 33. Adopted an accent for fun 34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors 35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment 36. Loved your job 90% of the time 37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied 38. Watched wild whales 39. Gone rock climbing 40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach 41. Gone sky diving 42. Visited Ireland 43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant 44. Visited India 45. Bench-pressed your own weight... I am counting this one because I was only off by 10 lbs...close enough, right?46. Milked a cow 47. Alphabetized your personal files 48. Ever worn a superhero costume 49. Sung karaoke 50. Lounged around in bed all day 51. Gone scuba diving 52. Kissed in the rain 53. Played in the mud 54. Gone to a drive-in theater 55. Done something you should regret, but don't 56. Visited the Great Wall of China 57. Started a business 58. Taken a martial arts class 59. Been in a movie 60. Gone without food for 3 days 61. Made cookies from scratch 62. Won first prize in a costume contest 63. Got flowers for no reason 64. Been in a combat zone 65. Spoken more than one language fluently 66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone 67. Bounced a check 68. Read - and understood your credit report 69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy 70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did 71. Called or written your Congress person 72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over 73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge 74. Helped an animal give birth 75. Been fired or laid off from a job 76. Won money 77. Broken a bone 78. Ridden a motorcycle 79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph... I wasn't the one driving, but I was in the passenger seat so it was terrifying enough to count 80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon 81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing... I wish! 82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days 83. Eaten sushi 84. Had your picture in the newspaper 85. Read The Bible cover to cover 86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about 87. Gotten someone fired for their actions 88. Gone back to school 89. Changed your name 90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands 91. Eaten fried green tomatoes 92. Read The Iliad 93. Taught yourself an art from scratch 94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating 95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt 96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language 97. Been elected to public office 98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream 99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care 100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you 101. Had a booth at a street fair 102. Dyed your hair 103. Been a DJ 104. Rocked a baby to sleep 105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four 106. Raked your carpet 107. Brought out the best in people 108. Brought out the worst in people 109. Worn a mood ring 110. Ridden a horse 111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap 112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe 113. Buried a child 114. Gone to a broadway play 115. Been inside the pyramids 116. Shot a basketball into a basket 117. Danced at a disco 118. Played in a band... the clarinet in middle school 119. Shot a bird 120. Gone to an arboretum 121. Tutored someone 122. Ridden a train 123. Brought an old fad back into style 124. Eaten caviar 125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need 126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant 127. Published a book 128. Pieced a quilt 129. Lived in an historic place130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage 131. Asked for a raise 132. Made a hole-in-one (if miniature golf counts) 133. Gone deep sea fishing 134. Gone roller skating 135. Run a marathon 136. Learned to surf 137. Invented something 138. Flown first class 139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite 140. Flown in a helicopter 141. Visited Africa 142. Sang a solo 143. Gone spelunking 144. Learned how to take a compliment 145. Written a love-story 146. Seen Michelangelo’s David 147. Had your portrait painted 148. Written a fan letter 149. Spent the night in something haunted 150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane 151. Ran away 152. Learned to juggle 153. Been a boss 154. Sat on a jury 155. Lied about your weight 156. Gone on a diet 157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget 158. Written a poem 159. Carried your lunch in a lunch box 160. Gotten food poisoning 161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission162. Hiked the grand Canyon 163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks 164. Gone to the opera 165. Gotten a letter from someone famous 166. Worn knickers 167. Ridden in a limousine 168. Attended the Olympics 169. Can hula or waltz 170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books 171. Been stuck in an elevator 172. Had a revelatory dream 173. Thought you might crash in an airplane 174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert 175. Saved someone’s life 176. Eaten raw whale 177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint 178. Laughed till your side hurt 179. Straddled the equator 180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing 181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival 182. Sent a message in a bottle 183. Spent the night in a hostel 184. Been a cashier 185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt 186. Joined a union 187. donated blood or plasma 188. Built a campfire 189. Kept a blog 190. Had hives 191. Worn custom made shoes or boots 192. Made a PowerPoint presentation 193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course 194. Served at a soup kitchen 195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube 196. Know CPR 197. Ridden in or owned a convertible 198. Found a long lost friend 199. Helped solve a crime 200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

Just for Caity

2008-06-05T11:00:00.000-07:00

My friend Caity challenged a bunch of her friends to post a picture of themselves in their wedding dress... I didn't have any bridals done so I don't have that many pictures that are of just me on my wedding day... but this is one that I like so here it is~

Woodland Park Zoo

2008-05-31T14:23:00.000-07:00

Sean and I decided to take Cole to the zoo this afternoon and I had no idea that we only live 20 minutes away! I was expecting it to be on the outskirts of the city but it really was right in the middle of downtown Seattle. Driving there was beautiful... you drive through this older neighborhood full of craftsman style houses and then all of the sudden the zoo is right there. On our way home we took the scenic route and drove through this cute little touristy city called Lake City... we will have to go exploring there sometime because it looked like a lot of fun and had amazing waterfront views of Green Lake. I am discovering more and more how much there is to do here... I need to take advantage of it!

Sick...

2008-05-28T19:29:00.000-07:00

The last week and a half has been pretty rough... first Cole got sick... in just about every way possible... the first day he was throwing up, then the next day he started getting croupy and that lasted for several days and once that started to get better Sean discovered a staph infection on Cole's cute little bottom. The doctor came over to our house and performed a mini-operation on our couch... that is a little bit of an exaggeration but he cut open Cole's wound to clean it out and Cole has been taking antibiotics since then and recovering well... but the entire experience was pretty traumatizing for Cole and for me and Sean as well... I am just glad Sean found the infection when he did so it didn't spread even further~

Then I got sick this past weekend and so that completely destroyed our memorial day plans... but Sean took good care of me and even brought me meals in bed... he is the best...

Today was the first day that we all seemed to be feeling better... so we went to Applebee's to celebrate. I am not the biggest fan of the food there, but I love going anyway because it was where Sean and I went on our first date almost 8 years ago... it is crazy how much has changed during that time but how quickly it has flown by. I loved being there with Cole... there is just something I love about being able to order him a kids meal... it just makes him seem so old to me and makes me want to cherish every minute with him because the time is flying by... he was having a lot of fun with the balloon that our waitress gave to him... I love hanging out with my boys~

Mother's Day

2008-05-12T07:25:00.000-07:00

I had a great Mother's day. Sean and Cole sent me around the house on a treasure hunt to collect my presents and all of the clues were poems... It made my day! Sean left late last night for Florida... yuck! I don't like it when he has to travel, but I don't think this will happen very often with Microsoft so I shouldn't complain. He will be there, in Orlando, all week for work so I am going to be heading to my parent's house to spend some quality time with family~ I love these pictures of Cole... his personality seems to be emerging more and more each day and it is so much fun watching him grow.

Big Boy Hair

2008-05-05T10:04:00.001-07:00

Cole got his first haircut this weekend. I loved his curls, but his baby hair was getting a little bit out of control and hard to manage and so it was time to say goodbye... He looks so much older with his buzz cut and it is starting to hit me that he really isn't going to be a baby much longer.

Booster Seat

2008-04-23T08:46:00.000-07:00

Cole is finally out of his highchair... he has been eating so much better since I have been letting him sit at the counter... I think he was as sick of his highchair as I was~

In Motion

2008-04-14T10:14:00.000-07:00

Cole loves to dance... it is one of my favorite things to do with him. Whenever he hears music he starts running around in circles and shaking his head, arms, and legs... I took these pictures this morning while we were dancing in the loft... good times:)

Oh no...

2008-04-14T10:05:00.000-07:00

This is Cole's "hmmm... what should I do next face..." He was trying to get at the computer but when he couldn't quite reach the keyboard, this is what he decided to do instead...

Apparently I am not going to be able to let him run around in just his diaper anymore because there are some messes I don't want to have to clean up.

Book Club

2008-03-27T08:14:00.000-07:00

This morning I was letting Cole play in his room while I got myself ready for the day... I went into his room when I was done and this is how I found him... One of his favorite things to do is to "read" to himself. He lets me read to him sometimes, but most of the time he prefers opening a book like this and babbling to himself while he turns through the pages...

Sleep Over

2008-03-21T13:10:00.000-07:00

This is Brayden... the very cute 2-year-old son of one of my oldest friends, Autumn. On Wednesday, they came over and stayed all day and night. Cole was loving having a friend around to play with. We went to the park, ate dinner at Subway, and had a dance party... Cole and Brayden both had some very impressive moves, but I didn't think to get any pictures of that part of the day:)
This was taken Thursday morning right as they were getting ready to go home. I was trying to get a picture of Braydon and Cole together, but Cole wasn't cooperating so this was the best I got~ It was so much fun having them over...

I love this little guy...

2008-03-18T20:05:00.000-07:00

Cole has been getting a little camera shy lately... Every time he sees me with the camera he stops whatever he is doing and tries to get away, but this attempt to get away was picture worthy in and of itself:)

New Furniture

2008-03-17T21:41:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about Cole's new furniture. I know that he isn't ready for this bed yet, but I got it now that way our guests will have a place to sleep. When Cole is ready for it, I am going to just take the twin bed and the dresser and move them into his room and leave the full size bed for guests. By the way... Pottery Barn has amazing customer service. The wrong bed got sent the first time so we had to wait 2 extra weeks for the right bed to be delivered... but to make up for it they refunded over $700 of our order! That definitely made the wait worth it...

Running Around

2008-03-14T20:28:00.001-07:00

It is amazing how quickly a baby goes from taking their first few steps to running all over the house. This little guy has only been walking for a little over a month and it is already hard to keep up with him at times... He has SO much energy. One of his favorite games is making me chase around after him while he runs in circles...it is one of my favorites as well:)

I am not sure when it started, but Cole seems to be very attached to this stuffed monkey... he carries him all over the house and gives him hugs and kisses when he hasn't seen him in awhile. One day Cole was in his room playing while I was at the computer... I heard him come in the room so I turned around and this is what I saw...

Brittany

2008-03-10T14:46:00.000-07:00

My sister Brittany was here for the last 10 days visiting from Utah... I had so much fun with her here, but unfortunately, this is the only picture I have to document it. I am so glad that she is my sister. When I lived with her in Utah for a couple years, we got really close and I think we will have that friendship now for the rest of our lives. While she was here, we went shopping, saw the movie Penelope, went out to eat, but of course there aren't any pictures of those things... only this one of us playing Golf... which really is one of the best card games... all in all it was good to have her here, because I miss her~

TAG... I am it!

2008-02-25T12:37:00.000-08:00

10 Years Ago...

I was a freshman at Hanford High School... that was a rough year, but one I learned a lot from.

5 Things on my list to do today...

1. Take Cole to the doctor for his one year check up... better late than never:)

2. Clean my kitchen... it is a wreck from the weekend.

3. Blog... it has been awhile.

4. Make my bed... this is something I have been trying to be better at, but it's never been one of my strengths.

5. Pay bills... which is something I actually enjoy doing.

Snacks I enjoy...

Chips & Salsa, Peanut Butter Cups with Hot Tamales (this was inspired by my BFF Nicole), cheese filled breadsticks from Schwans, and Coldstone ice cream...

3 Bad Habits...

1. Forgetting to floss my teeth.

2. Shopping online and buying clothing impulsively.

3. Buying produce at Costco... I really don't need anything fresh in bulk considering there are only 3 of us... but I cannot seem to resist getting a deal on grapefruit and avacados.

5 Place I have lived...

1. Idaho Falls, Idaho

2. Auburn, Washington

3. Richland, Washington

4. Pleasant Grove, Utah

5. Bothell, Washington

5 Jobs I have had...

1. Carl's Jr.

2. Mcdonalds

3. Drycleaning... I was the queen of shirt laundry.

4. Shade Clothing

5. Stay at home mom... this is definately the hardest of any of the jobs I've had, but also the most rewarding.

5 Things you don't know about me...

1. I hate going to sleep at night... I cannot remember when this started, but it is depressing to me to have to sleep, there is always more that I want to be doing.

2. I am border-line OCD... or at least it feels like it sometimes...

3. I hate doing my hair... it just seems like a big waste of time.

4. I rarely mop my kitchen floor... I just kind of spot clean as I go along, but Cole is making this more and more difficult the older he gets.

5. I haven't ever mowed a lawn... I just kind of got lucky growing up I guess and I have yet to own a house with much of a yard in my adult years.

If I suddenly had a million dollars...

I would go on a crazy shopping spree, pay off my house, and save/invest the rest.

I am tagging Dana, Patsy, and Beth.

Sunshine in Seattle

2008-02-18T14:54:00.000-08:00

I love days like today! It is absolutely gorgeous outside and I couldn't be happier about it... I know that the sunshine isn't going to last long since it's still winter, so I am just happy to enjoy it while it's here... Cole and I went for a long walk around our neighborhood and then we played at the park for awhile. I took him down the slide a few times, but he seemed much happier playing in the gravel and crawling around on the concrete. A sunny day like today reminds me how much I LOVE and thrive off of sunshine... it sounds kind of cheesy, but it really helps me to see life more clearly... I was sitting at the park with Cole today and I was just feeling incredibly grateful for the life that I have and for all the events that have brought me to where I am now. I wouldn't trade being Cole's mom for anything else in the world... life is good~

Facing Forward

2008-02-06T11:28:00.001-08:00

Sean and I decided it was time to move Cole's car seat around to face forward, so while Sean was fastening it in, we let Cole play around in the car which he loved. This little boy is obsessed with buckles... any chance he gets, he can entertain himself forever with the buckles from his car seat or highchair... it works out pretty conveniently for me sometimes:) After the mission was accomplished, we went to grab dinner to celebrate our anniversary and Cole seemed pretty happy to finally be facing his parents~ Hopefully car rides, for the most part, will be more pleasant from here on out.

3 Years Ago...

2008-02-05T09:20:00.000-08:00

It is crazy how quickly the past three years have flown by... and how much has happened during that time. I have learned a lot about Sean, but I think I have learned more about myself. Sean is one of the most patient people I have ever known and that has worked out well for us because I can be a little intense and anxious at times... There are a million reasons I am so glad that I made the decision to marry him and I hope we have a lot more anniversaries together~

Marcus and the Airport

2008-02-04T07:34:00.000-08:00

Getting to see Marcus again was so much fun. Here he is eating his Wendy's at the airport in Seattle where we first met up with him... He had been traveling for over a day at this point and he was really tired. We got to be on the same flight as him over to the Tri-Cities where our parents live and I loved every minute of it since I got to have him to myself for a little bit before we got home...

We got to the airport way earlier than we needed to so we could see Marcus asap, but Cole wasn't too happy about having to miss his naps and not being able to crawl around wherever he wanted... but then we discovered this AMAZING room... everything in here was soft even the toys that look hard, he was loving his life being able to play and crawl around like crazy.
You can see how tired he is in this picture, but he did really well as long as he was in this room and then he fell asleep on the airplane so it all worked out perfectly~

Pseudo Binkie

2008-01-30T19:55:00.000-08:00

Cole's newest binkie is his lego piece... he loves this thing and carries it around the house all day either in his mouth or his hand... whatever makes him happy:) Tomorrow we are flying to the Tri-Cities so Cole can meet his Uncle Marcus and so I can see my little brother. I cannot believe it has been two years since I saw him last... so much has happened during that time! I need to remember to bring Cole's lego with me, because I have a feeling the plane ride with a loud one year old is not going to be too fun~

Old Friends

2008-01-25T08:09:00.001-08:00

Last night, one of my favorite roommates from my freshmen year of college came over for dinner. It was so much fun catching up with her. We lived together for only 9 months, so I am glad we've been able to keep somewhat in touch over the years. She works at Microsoft as well, so it was fun for Sean to have someone speak his language, since I don't really understand all the lingo:) Cole liked her as well, he kept screaming at her in an attempt to get her attention. I love having people around for him to interact with, because I think he gets pretty bored with me~

Hanging Out

2008-01-24T07:41:00.000-08:00

Sean is definitely Cole's favorite person lately. The second Sean gets home from work, Cole does every thing he can to stay by his side until he has to go to sleep...
But during the day he is all mine. Moments like this, where he is sitting still, are rare... it was so much fun. He sat on my stomach for awhile and just played with the zipper on my shirt, played patty-cake and looked at old pictures of himself on the computer... I loved every minute of it.

New Bedding

2008-01-21T20:16:00.000-08:00

Sean and I decided that our room needed more color so... we went to Pottery Barn tonight and found this bedding on display and fell in love with it... Yellow has always been one of my favorite colors, it just makes me happy. Plus, I love how soft the sheets are... I am very excited to go to sleep tonight.

Birthday Boy

2008-01-20T20:38:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that a year has passed since Cole was born... To celebrate, I made him cupcakes and pretty much let him have his way all day today... it was fun, not just for him, but for me. This past year has definitely been one of the hardest years of my life in many ways, but in so many more ways it has been one of the best. I think life was pretty lonely before I had this little guy to share my days with...

Standing On His Own

2008-01-16T09:48:00.000-08:00

I was finally able to capture Cole's latest skill on camera... This boy makes my heart melt. Just yesterday he started using the sign for "more" while I was feeding him. Then later in the day, I was holding him and when I sat him down, he looked up at me and did the sign for "more" again... it's moments like that, that make it all worth it:)

Christmas Pajamas

2008-01-08T11:40:00.000-08:00

This is Cole and Ukiah on Christmas Eve, just after they opened their Christmas pajamas. I love this picture because it looks like Ukiah is telling a story to Cole, while Cole looks on admiringly. I cannot wait until Cole is just a little older so he'll be able to play more with Ukiah.

Cole's New Clothes

2008-01-08T11:32:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to have the internet again! We live a little bit outside of city limits so our choice for internet service was limited to one company and it took them over two weeks to come install our service, but it is here now and I am happy! This is Cole on Sunday wearing his new church clothes. He is learning his way around the new house and seems to be much happier here than he was in our crowded apartment.

Settling In

2007-12-22T14:48:00.001-08:00

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

2007-12-12T07:39:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-06T10:35:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-05T09:30:00.001-08:00

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

2007-12-03T14:19:00.001-08:00

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

2007-12-02T09:42:00.001-08:00

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

2007-12-02T09:19:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-27T07:44:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-26T10:24:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-08T13:32:00.001-08:00

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

2007-11-05T01:16:00.001-08:00

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

2007-11-01T09:55:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-31T08:08:00.000-07:00

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...