Seattle

I couldn't think of a creative title for this entry! Me and my titles...must be the former tv job in me. On Thursday we took a day trip over to the westside. Have you been to Seattle when the sun is shining? It truly is one of the most beautiful cities. This day delivered...not a cloud in sight! We were going to visit Brian's buddy Brandon who was hospitalized on Tuesday. They thought it was his appendix turned out to be something else, but he was released yesterday and is doing better! Our first stop before Seattle Grace, I mean Overlake Bellevue hospital (he he, don't think I wasn't lookin' for the McDoctors!) was Whole Foods to get Brandon a couple things. Good thing Brian was rushing me because I think I could've spent hours there walking the aisles buying up all the -ICs. OrganIC, Low-GlycimIC, HolisitIC - we Americans can be so easily swayed...package it pretty and slap an IC on it, sold for dollars more than the generics! I'm lumping myself into this group by the way.

After those two places we planned to meet our sister Mollie (Hi Mollie!) at Bellevue Square. No trip to Seattle is complete for me without a good restaurant and some shopping. Mollie met us at Sephora since I had a giftcard there. We talked and shopped around, then all of the sudden Brian with a panicked look on his face comes barreling around the corner to tell me that they're evacuating the mall and to HURRY! I put my stuff down and left the store, people were mass exiting the mall really fast. Lights were flashing and this automated voice was telling us "an emergency has been reported and to please exit the mall". How crazy is that!? We still don't know why we were evacuated and I was really bummed because I had some Sephora stuff to buy!

We ended our day at CPK and a final visit to Brandon. We drove back, still not a raindrop dropped and were thankful for our eventful day in the city!

Five Months and Winter's gone so walks are on!

Olivia turns five months old on Sunday. She grows cuter, smarter and more fun by the day. She holds her head up pretty well, she rolls over, I think she's getting some teeth because she chews EVERYTHING, she loves her JUMPEROO, she's not too sure about pears, she laughs really heartily, she loves people and is super social with just about everybody, and she still doesn't sleep through the night (oh well, we can't have it all). I'm still in awe that I'm her mommy and remind myself each day how thankful I am for a healthy and thriving girl.



The weather is still sorta chilly (high 40s-50s) but the sun has been shining so we've started walking this week. It's felt so good to get outside, get moving and breathe the fresh air. Olivia loves it too...there's lots of world out there for her to take in. We usually go with our friend and neighbor Jill. Having a friend helps keep me motivated and having someone to talk to makes the time go by so fast. We may have some more winter to come, but I think the worst is behind us!

Red Wine and Chocolate!

One of the nice things about living in this part of Washington is the sunnier days we have. Seattle definitely has the amenities of a big city but Yakima has the sunshine! Which makes for great wine making! Central Washington is quickly becoming a mecca for wine lovers. People travel from all over the state (and country even...watch out California!) to visit the wineries. This weekend was no exception! Every President's Day weekend the local wineries host an event called "Red Wine and Chocolate". The idea is to give free or very inexpensive samples to pair with chocolate and they even offer discounted prices on their bottles. Our neighbors Chris, Diaun, Kerry, Tom and Tom's parents invited us to go along with them. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, people were happy to be outside. Olivia came along too and was loving all the attention she was getting from everybody. We had a great time as a family with our friends enjoying good wine, good fellowship and good weather! Here are some pics...

Olivia enjoyed being the center of attention



The girls



Our Family



Tired girl



and an amazing sunset!

Daddy's Girl

Olivia LOVES her dad! It's fun watching this relationship grow. Daddy always equals fun and she knows it! When he walks through the front door she gets so excited to see him and laughs right away! These two are quickly bonding and she's definitely going to have this dad wrapped around her little finger...

Happy V-Day!

Yes I'm THAT mom. You know the cheesy kind that dresses her daughter all up in red for Valentines Day. Yesterday we had a Valentine party at MOMS which was for the older kids, but Olivia was sure entertained watching them all run around on their sugar highs. She even got a Valentine of her own from Sawyer...awwww, Daddy said he's not sure about that!

Happy Valentine's Day and a very happy birthday to my brother in law Bill! We love ya!

On the Road Again

Today we're packing up (once again!) and heading east this time to Coeur d'alene, Idaho. Brian has a Regional Young Life retreat, so Olivia and I are tagging along. I must admit the resort was a big draw. If you know me well, you know I love a nice hotel!

I'm looking forward to visiting Coeur d'alene. It's fun to see new parts of the Northwest and Brian has many childhood memories there going to his grandparents lake house.

Olivia went for her four month checkup the other day. She is making all her milestones! She weighed in at 15 lbs, 2.5oz and 25 inches long. We're very thankful for our healthy girl!

WE'RE BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!

Three weeks, many meals, memories, milestones, malls (of course!), oh and a mountain pass ride home, we made it! We had to extend our trip back until Monday because of the status of Snoqualmie Pass - it's how we get back from Seattle and had been closed due to snow and avalanches (seriously) all week. There was a record of 6 feet of snowfall in six days. Olivia was so happy to see her daddy, she locked eyes with him right away and hasn't stopped smiling since. I was sad to say goodbye to everyone but know this is my home now and I was anxious to see Brian! He did lots of home improvements while we were gone, I'll save those for a later post. We couldn't have asked for a better trip! Click the image below for a slideshow recap!