Work Day at the Farm

Visit with Nana

My Mom came to Seattle for a visit last week and Evan had a great time getting to know her better. He is talking really well now which made it even more fun for them both because he could clearly communicate with her. We had a busy week taking Evan to the park several times, Pike's Place Market, Snoqualmie Falls and running lots of errands that are hard for me to do when I am alone during the day. My Mom is fabulous at organizing and she helped us get the house more in order and more lived in (hanging curtains, decorating, etc).

Saturday after we dropped her off at the airport we headed up to the Farm for the afternoon and he kept looking around for her saying "Nana?". It was so sweet and sad at the same time. It is so difficult living so far away from her. Miss you already Mom...

Whale Calls

We had an awesome time in Maui (how can you not, right?). Our daily ritual consisted of the beach and/or the pool...rough life! We heard whales calling to each other while we were snorkeling one day. I had more whale sightings on this trip than I have of all my other visits here combined. It is amazing to sit on the beach and gaze out at the ocean and suddenly see their massive bodies flying out of the water followed by a huge spray of water as they go back under.

Evan was tentative about the water the first several days but by the end of our trip we were both running after him when he took a beeline for the water out of no where. He loved digging in the sand and exploring the beach. Aaron took him to the tide pools and Evan kept asking to touch everything he saw. (For awhile now every animal he sees he says "touch?" asking permission before proceeding). We met a family from Seattle with a boy just two days younger than Evan and hung out with them for a couple of days on the beach. I am not a very outgoing person if I don't know someone but it is amazing how children can make you talk to just about anyone.

Evan got to spend some quality time with his Papa and Momo on our trip which was great as well. They took him to the aquarium one afternoon and Aaron and I spent a lazy afternoon sipping cocktails and relaxing by the pool relishing the fact that we could sit still for more than a few minutes at a time. They also babysat one night so we could enjoy a nice dinner out which was fabulous! We had an awesome family vacation and hope to make it a yearly event!

First Day of Vacation

We arrived yesterday in Maui and were greeted with gorgeous weather and leis by Dad and Mona at the airport. We wasted no time and went to the pool then the beach as soon as we dropped our luggage off in our condo. Evan did well on the 6 hour flight here but he did not take a nap as we had hoped so he was exhausted by the afternoon making him a bit tentative about the pool. The beach was a bit cold and really windy yesterday so we didn't stay long but today is beautiful out so we are headed there right now!

Recap and tales of an interesting day

Today turned out to be a very interesting day. Evan and I had quite a little 'adventure' when stupidly I let him hold my car keys as I placed him into his car seat after a trip to the grocery store. I forgot he had them and just as I closed his door to start loading my groceries into the car, I heard the sound of all the doors locking (my cell phone was also in the car). Fortunately just a few panicked minutes later he hit the unlock button and I was able to get into the car. He seemed to think I was playing a game with him - waiving to him from the outside of the car begging him to press another button on the remote. He was smiling and waiving at me from inside not realizing how badly I was freaking out. Then this evening when I let Hili outside for the final time of the day she returned with a furry gift for me in her mouth. I ran screaming away from her as she desperately tried to give me her gift. I tried to hurdle the baby gate and failed, falling on top of it causing it to crash to the floor all while Evan was sleeping. Aaron and I got a good laugh out of it!


















































My little boy also turned 18 months old today. Although we certainly have those challenging toddler moments he is a ton of fun. He surprises us everyday by learning something new. Today he said "Daddy at work" out of the blue, it was very cool. We had his check-up this morning and he is doing great. He is still a little guy according to the charts (height and weight) but I guess his parents are not huge people so a career as a professional basketball player may be out...

Evan's cousins and Aunt Amy spent the last couple of weeks visiting and Evan adores them all! He says their names repeatedly throughout the day. It was great being able to have them with us at Christmas and New Years, particularly this year. Christmas was more fun this year since Evan is older and could enjoy the excitement of the holiday. He was really into Frosty the Snowman (which is why I was so damned determined to build a snowman for him) and our Christmas tree (the poor guy is a little confused why it has suddenly disappeared). He was not interested in opening the gifts but he loved everything he received. He seemed a bit overwhelmed at times as to why we kept throwing more toys at him.

I have been bad about posting lately so the following are some snapshots of what we've been up to. Happy New Year to you all.

Merry Christmas!

Snowman Weather

Jared, Harrison and Amy are in town for Christmas and as they arrived a big snowstorm hit (well big for Seattle). Before the second storm hit we packed up the dogs and all of Evan's gear and headed to Dad and Mona's to get snowed in together. We've been having fun sledding and building snowmen. Evan has been keeping us awake all night which is not fun but it is great to be together. We've had almost a foot of snow here in Seattle and I think we may be here through Christmas.