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Family Fun Day

Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

The snow has melted and while it was beautiful, staying inside for the better part of four days with a toddler while I have a head cold wasn’t something I’d planned for the last weeks prior to the arrival of our sweet second-born. It did, however, mean that Jonathan was working from home for the better part of the week and that meant he really worked in the spaces that I wasn’t napping. Thanks, Love!

Now that we’re able to get out of our house, we decided to have a little family fun day as a bit of a last hoorah as a family of three.

First stop: Top Pot Donuts

Donut Feast

If you know us pretty well, you can easily figure out who had which donut. For her part, Beatrice very much enjoyed it!

Yum!

After our treat, we headed to Hobby Lobby (this was Beatrice’s idea! Love that girl!). I had looked at their advert online and noticed that “men’s decorative items” were on sale. Jonathan said no man under 50 would ever decorate with them and they really shouldn’t indicate that they are for men, but rather purchased by the women who decorate men’s homes. He does have a good point. I didn’t see a single man in the “men’s items” area. We spent quite a long time in Hobby Lobby, for the youngest member of our party just couldn’t get enough of the crafty goodness. It helped that her Daddy was along to give her a better view of things:

Doll Houses

After Hobby Lobby, we stopped by the mall in hopes of finding some new shoes for Jonathan, but quickly realized it was too close to lunch and nap time to do any shopping. We returned home for Bea’s nap, after which we headed to dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants:

Mmm. Delicious!

As you can see, Beatrice was so excited by her pepperoni pizza that she couldn’t look up for the photo. What a difference a year makes! We’d gone out for dinner here on our anniversary last year and it was kind of terrible. Beatrice was horribly crabby and while they had our food out in record time, Jonathan and I each only had one slice of pizza before we headed home because it was evident Beatrice was not able to dine in public during the evening! Yikes! This time, we waited almost 35 minutes for a table and she was only fussy the last five minutes or so of this period. Once we sat down, she was happy as can be with the coloring page and crayons provided for her. They brought out breadsticks for us right away and we were able to keep her supplied with little bits of bread to munch while she colored. Our waiter was kind enough to suggest that he could cut her pizza into bite-sized pieces in the kitchen if we’d like, so her food was all ready for her when it came out! Jonathan had to make sure her plate always had a few more bites on it, but all in all, we had a really enjoyable meal. Hooray! And just in time for us to hit the “reset” button and start all over again.

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Snow!

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

We have been reading books about snow, snowmen, snow angels, and snowplows with Beatrice and she still hadn’t seen snow (that she could remember). This weekend though, all of that changed! We had quite a good snowfall Sunday afternoon.

Here are some photos of our fun in the snowy weather:

Snowing!

She liked being out in the snow a little better when it was just snowing rather than snow up to the top of her boots. I think walking in that much snow was a little tricky for her.

Making a snowball

Yes, I showed her how to make a snowball and then we maybe threw them at Daddy who gladly participated in our snowball fight!

Eating a "snow treat"

And Daddy taught her that snow is delicious! She calls it a snow treat. Don’t worry, we made sure the snow was “clean” and we’ve talked about avoiding yellow snow….

We like snow

And naturally, she gets to have some “tea” when she comes inside (it’s really warm apple juice):

Nice and warm!

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Our Day

Thursday, December 22nd, 2011

Here are some tips for you…in case you’re as dumb as me. If you are laterish in your pregnancy, do not plan to drop off your car to have repairs made without knowing how long said repairs will take. If you do decide to take the plunge, make plans to do something other than walk around town for the next unknown period of time with your toddler.

All in all, it was just fine for us to walk around all morning. The weather was unseasonably warm and sunny. We were able to hang out with my Dad for a bit and do some light shopping at the mall. We went to the library and our local Ben Franklin to look at craft ideas. The estimate of “1 to 3.6 hours” ended up being only 2.5 hours. I felt really good after a nice, long walk and we found a delightful little book at the library (don’t worry, we currently have at least a dozen children’s books checked out!). Beatrice did a great job with all our wandering around and after some lunch, she cuddled on my lap in the rocking chair and fell asleep on my shoulder. I love that she has done this the last two days! I will say, however, that the whole time we were walking around I was thinking that I was really thankful we are not homeless. Entertaining a toddler with no home base is tricky! I imagine it would be even trickier if we were on the go regularly and wondering where we’d sleep or what we might eat. Also, it’s really nice that our downtown area is flat. REALLY nice.

After her nap, Beatrice asked to paint. “I love painting!” she said. So, I got out the fingerpaints and q-tips and she got to work. I was cleaning the kitchen and just happened to look over at her to see this:

she loves paint!

It should be noted that she fingerpaints with q-tips because she doesn’t like the feeling of paint on her fingers. It is apparent that she doesn’t have a problem with it on her face or her arms. Sillypants!

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It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Monday, December 12th, 2011

Thanksgiving came and went with a whirlwind of activity and fun. We had new flooring installed in the kitchen the day before Thanksgiving, which made for a very full week. We were blessed to have our family here with us to share in the feast and enjoyed some really delicious food together! We’re not bad cooks, it turns out!

The day after Thanksgiving, we once again participated in our traditional treck downtown and saw the Christmas trees, gingerbread houses and tree lighting. Beatrice did not take a nap that day and to distract her while waiting in line, we let her have her first candy: a candy cane! She LOVES them!

And we’ve been doing some other fun things to celebrate the Christmas season. Christmas tree hunting:

Trimming the tree:

Riding a horse-drawn carriage:

Making decorations:

Visiting Christmas light displays:

All this and we’ve still got two weeks until Christmas! It’s been a delight to see hear Beatrice singing Christmas songs and carols and to watch her learn more about the traditions of Christmas (she caught on especially quickly to the fact that men dressed as Santa generally give out candy cane treats!).

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October Recap

Saturday, November 5th, 2011

October was a busy month!

We took a family roadtrip to Chico, CA. Beatrice did a great job in the car! Naturally, we’d stocked up on activities, books and a portable DVD player and of course, one of her favorite items to play with was a crumpled paper towel.

Paper towel!

We stayed in a hotel and attended the wedding of our friends, DJ and Ashley. The wedding was beautiful, but Beatrice and I did not stay in the sanctuary for long. When the candles were being lit, Beatrice began singing “Happy Birthday” in her loudest voice. It was both adorable and completely embarrassing! We read some books in the narthex area and when it was time for the congregational hymn, we went back inside and sat with Jonathan. After the ceremony, we headed to their beautiful reception and enjoyed some fun with old and new friends, a delicious meal and dancing! Congratulations, DJ and Ashley! We’re so happy for you and glad that we were able to witness your entering into marriage!

The happy newlyweds!

The next day, we drove home and were very glad to sleep in our own beds!

October also brought a change in weather around here and we were able to enjoy our first family trip to the pumpkin patch. Beatrice wasn’t as excited about the pumpkins as she was about the farm animals and gourds, but it was a great day to be outside together and a fun memory. She selected one gourd for each of us and we’ve had fun using them as decorations inside.

We like pumpkins!

We were also able to be present for the baptism of the baby of our friends, Mike and Julianna. Once again, Beatrice was a source of embarrassment and joy as she yelled “Amen!” like a Southern Baptist during the prayer and started to sing “Happy Birthday” with the lighting of candles. Thankfully, Julianna’s family is very forgiving and her presence wasn’t seen as a nuisance. It’s a blessing for us to be part of joyous occasions such as these!

Baby C's baptism

The biggest milestone for the month was the night away that Jonathan and I were able to share. Our friends, Carrie and Dan (and Frankie!) stayed at our house with Beatrice and we were able to have a nice date night out and stay the night at a local bed and breakfast. We had a great time! Dinner was delicious and my goal for the night was to take a bath, read a book and have a cup of tea and I got to do all three at once! Yay! Beatrice didn’t seem to skip a beat, which was great. She had a great time with Carrie and Dan, enjoyed having pizza for dinner and showed off her new skill: twirling!

Two well-rested parents!

We celebrated Jonathan’s 31st birthday three times this year! It was great! We had family over for a dinner comprised of all of his favorites: spicy maple-glazed pork tenderloin, quinoa dinner rolls, roast brussels sprouts, roast red potatoes, cherry pie. It was really nice to have everyone together for a meal! We went to dinner at a German restaurant with the Eske-side of the family later that week and for Jonathan’s actual birthday, we had sushi! Beatrice mostly ate sushi rice from our rolls and potstickers, but she had a great time with the teeny-tiny plates.

Mmm Sushi!

The end of the month was Halloween and Beatrice chose to be a dinosaur (I know, I thought she’d pick duck too!). She really liked her costume and we had lots of fun just putting her in it around the house for some giggles. We went to a “trunk or treat” event at my parents’ church (the one in which I grew up). She had a great time seeing everyone in costume, but she was not interested in any of the carnival games. Once we were outside, she liked seeing the decorated vehicles, but she was more interested in splashing in the puddles than collecting candy.

Splashy! Splashy!

We participated in trick-or-treating at Jonathan’s office on Halloween. I was a little nervous that she wouldn’t catch on with the concept of collecting candy since my coaching her resulted in her holding out her bucket and saying things like, “Say hi to my pumpkin bucket?” Once we got to the office and she saw the bowls of candy, she set to work! Sadly, she was mostly drawn to Baby Ruth (is it the packaging?) and it took some coaching to get her to put peanut butter cups into her bucket, but she figured out that trick-or-treat is fun! Mostly, she liked the decorations and it was definitely a highlight for her to get her very own plastic spider ring!

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Ingrid Michaelson

Wednesday, September 14th, 2011

One of our friends, Andrew, alerted us this weekend that Ingrid Michaelson would be performing live during lunch on Monday. We happily jumped at the opportunity to have a little family time during the day. Live music is a bonus and Ingrid Michaelson did not disappoint! Sadly, we did not think to take a video of the best and funniest part of the show, which was her “I hate babies” song. Hilarious.

Beatrice and Jonathan livin' it up during lunch!

It was surprisingly chilly outside, which is why Beatrice is wearing her ducky blanket as a cape. It was the only practical option.

Beatrice enjoys the music

One of my favorite parts of the show was Beatrice saying, “Play the guitar!” after the first song (which was played on keyboard). What a silly girl. Beatrice was very pleased when Ingrid Michaelson began to play the ukulele, which she thought was a “baby guitar” logical, if incorrect.

And here’s the “money shot” of the four of us after the show. The gal taking the photo had just asked if she took one, which is why I’m talking. It’s still a fun memory!

Family with Ingrid Michaelson!

And in case you’ve forgotten, “The Way I Am” was the song we danced to for our “first dance” at our wedding reception. If you haven’t heard it yet, you can do so here. She played two new songs today. They were great! Keep ‘em comin’, Ingrid Michaelson! And a big thank you to Andrew for making sure we were able to be part of the fun!

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The French Bakery

Tuesday, September 13th, 2011

After our Farmer’s Market fun, we went with Brenda to The French Bakery in Bellevue to use a coupon and enjoy some treats! Beatrice and I had been to the Kirkland and Crossroads locations, but this was new for us. It is definitely the largest of the three bakeries, but it is also the one where I had the most difficulty parking. However, it is definitely worth the walk!

I did not get a photo of the outside, but the bakery is in the lower portion of a fairly modern building. We walked in and Beatrice was very happy to see the “treats!” in the bakery case.

On our previous visits, Beatrice has really enjoyed the guava pocket, so I ordered one for her and a strawberry croissant for me. Guess who ate the croissant? Yep! She LOVED it though and ate it layer by flaky layer. Brenda wisely noted that this is how grown-ups would like to eat croissants, but babies are able to get away with it!

Here we are with our treats!

I realize this modern high-rise building was likely not designed with toddlers in mind, but luckily for us, the area was PERFECT for a toddler!

Beatrice had a great time splashing in the water. She also maybe went home in only her diaper. She was soaked! She was also very happy and that’s what matters, right?

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Splash Park

Thursday, July 14th, 2011

One of our local parks has a little splash park area for children and Beatrice and I went to check it out last week. I wasn’t sure how she would respond to the water splashing, and she did stay close by my side for the first few minutes or so.

Sticking close to Momma

Once she caught on, this is what I saw:

Splashy! Splashy!

So nice!

Brave girl!

The splash park was a fun way to cool down with some friends and just the right amount of time to guarantee a nearly four hour nap that afternoon!

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Welcome Summer!

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011

I’m looking forward to more of this:

much more of this:

and this:

in the coming months!

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Cousins in the Sun

Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

It’s been sunny here! Yay! Unfortunately, naptimes kind of cramp my style when it comes to time in the sun. Friday we were, however, able to get out and take a walk with Megan and Ezra and our friends Brenda and Eden. Megan has a cool park near her house and we played and enjoyed some fun!

Everyone got to swing on the swings:

Beatrice loves the swings!

M&E

After the swings, we had a very important milestone occassion: Beatrice played with sticks and rocks for the first time! YAY!

Sticks and rocks!

Storing pebbles in her skirt. Classy!

After all the fun at the park, it was about time for each child to melt down in a different way. Beatrice positively refused to be placed into her stroller, which meant that she tried to strangle herself while writhing around as I attempted to strap her into the seat. I maybe yelled, “You’re still a blessing!” really loudly. Not awkward at all for everyone in the neighborhood and our companions. Nope. Arg. We got back to Megan’s, had a banana and then headed home. She was so sleepy, she fell asleep in the car before we even made it out of the neighborhood. When she awoke from her nap, she had some blueberries, which are one of her favorite treats. She was so excited about them, she ate them frozen. I think she’s maybe also getting her molars, so they were helping to relieve some of that teething pain.

Blueberry Bearded baby!

Violet! You're turning Violet!