andrew and jenn

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium

2012-02-06T16:13:00.000-08:00

Arlie woke up this morning excitedly telling me that we were going to go visit the elephants and penguins and all the other animals. Like a lot of stuff that comes out of her mouth, I have no idea where it came from. But it was a gorgeous day, why not? To Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium we went:

Now we're home and the girls are napping. I think we're all happy and exhausted. I used to think I wanted three kids but I could barely keep track of the two very energetic ones that I already have! For what was supposed to be a leisurely stroll through the zoo, I did a LOT of running. It's like dropping two ping pong balls and trying to decide which one looks like it's moving away faster to chase after first. Heheh.

Show Offs

2012-01-31T11:29:00.000-08:00

Here's Arlie, perfectly posed in her Christmas present from Heidi:

I think the Hello Kitty ring adds a little certain something, don't you?

She came up to me yesterday with a spatula tucked in the belt loops of her jeans. She offered me a serving spoon and asked if I wanted to be a man.

A man?

Yep, a man. And she took her spatula out and put it back in the belt loops to demonstrate. So I did the same with my spoon.

Then she pulled out her spatula and wielded it like a sword. And I figured out what was going on. So we played Rider Flynn (the "man" from Tangled) and had a good old-fashioned "sword" fight.

She loves to dress up and play pretend.

Andi would like to show you something, too.

Teeth:

Nose:

Ear:

Hair:

Any stranger that came across this blog would think we had a girl and a boy. Heck, even when I dress Andi in head-to-toe pink I still get told what a cute "boy" I have. Funny that people are so hung up on gender cues (like longer hair), even in toddlers.

Lost Photo Files

2012-01-20T21:47:00.000-08:00

Just found this one from back in August - our last date night. We were at a Seahawks game and I was "acting" like we were about to fall off the edge. Since my super-special law enforcement tickets were literally the furthest you could get from the field while still being in the stadium.

Andrew's just tolerating me. And mentally cutting me off from any further $10 beers.

I was trying to photograph vintage items to put up for sale on Etsy and Arlie jumped in front of the camera. It looks like a really amateur photo for a cover of a really bad band's album.

I really have no clue.

Arlie and I posing for the camera.

Andi wanted to show you her outfit, too. Sigh.

Snow Daze

2012-01-20T10:44:00.000-08:00

These are from the first day and night of snow. When it was fun. Now all we want is for it to melt away!

Flying

2012-01-05T12:27:00.000-08:00

I know these aren't great photos but they make me laugh. Even looking at them I can hear the screams of delight from the girls as they were chased and thrown around.

Andi Brushing Her Teeth

2011-12-21T01:15:00.000-08:00

Andi is very much wanting to copy everything Arlie does. Especially tooth brushing. Papa Don should be proud of his two cleanest-teeth girls in the Seattle metro area.

She's got her technique down pretty good, eh?

And yes, her hair is in a faux-hawk. That would be Arlie's doing. When I hear giggling coming from the bathroom, I know it's probably not good. But in this case, it was just a funny 'do.

Halloween 2011 (Uh, Belated)

2011-12-15T10:18:00.000-08:00

I realize it's almost Christmas but I can't believe I forgot to do a Halloween post! Since Andrew did something to the computer that erased all the pictures that were saved, I just stole this post from my other blog. Heh. And Heather, I know you're still waiting for part 2 of the pumpkin patch. I'll work on that!

This first pic was taken after we went trick-or-treating in downtown Gig Harbor and Andi had had enough. She wasn't about to let me put her down for some alone pictures!

I'm a . . . witch. You probably figured that out. Really, the costume is always more of an excuse for me to wear drag levels of eyeshadow. I love crazy eye color.

Most people thought she was a nerdy chicken. Worked for me.

Arlie picked their Halloween costumes this year. She announced Andi was going to be Chicken Little.

I ended up buying a pair of orange womens tights from Target and cutting them up to make her tights, comb, and foot covers. I bought the glasses from Goodwill, poked out the lenses, and painted the frame green with nailpolish. Her tail was a Trader Joe's brown bag cut into feathers. I think it ended up pretty good. And I was surprised she kept the glasses and headband on the whole time!

Arlie wanted to be Hello Kitty which I thought would be pretty easy. Did you know that no store in Gig Harbor sells white cat ears on a headband? Now you do. I wish I had a better picture but my mom came over with white felt and her hot glue gun and made plush cat ear barrettes for my little kitty. Combined with a bit of makeup and a pink dress from the clearance rack at Target, and she was Hello Kitty! Arlie loved it, she was fascinated by her reflection in the mirror.

One more picture of beautiful Gig Harbor, we were lucky to have such a great afternoon for trick-or-treating.

Leavenworth 2011

2011-12-14T10:12:00.000-08:00

For the second day off together, we decided to head to Leavenworth for the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony. We've never had a bad time in Leavenworth and this year was no exception! There was a lot less people than usual, I'm not sure if it was the day we were there (Sunday) or if the economy is keeping more people home this year.

This first picture accomplishes two things: A) You can see the outfit that Arlie picked out for herself. I'm starting to think the love of clashing patterns in genetic. It's amazing how it all works! And B) you can see the amazing parking spot Andrew managed to find. He was very, very proud of it. There were triumphant whoops pulling in AND out of the space.

I'm such a jerk for publishing this next picture but it cracks me up how ALL THREE are doing something awkward with their mouths. I love them soooo much!

Also cracking me up? Random nutcracker sightings. . .

Here's one way to use stale pretzels:

Our nutcracker sighting turned into a nutcracker meeting!

Part of the main street lit up for Christmas:

Andi's pointer finger got a workout - there was so many things to look at!

I know I say this all the time, but she is such a poser!

We're already making plans to return next year!

Family Photo

2011-12-06T13:17:00.000-08:00

Ed Johnson - Practicing Photographer, took a nice candid photo the other night during the Tree Lighting Ceremony in Key Center. Since we rarely have photos of the four of us together, I was excited that he shared.

Our Day Together

2011-12-04T20:17:00.000-08:00

This holiday season I received two of the best gifts I possibly could - two Sundays off. That means we get to be together, as a family, for TWO WHOLE DAYS. It's amazing! Today we went and picked out our Christmas tree:

Andi picked out this bottle of honey (she's obsessed with bears!) and insisted on carrying it around with her until she finally got too tired.

Miss Monks

2011-11-14T16:29:00.001-08:00

Two cute pics of Arlie. Trying on mommy's boots and helping make biscotti.

Pumpkin Patch Part 1

2011-11-06T22:41:00.000-08:00

These are just a few of the pictures my mom e-mailed to me from the day we went to the pumpkin patch at Schilter Farm in Nisqually. Arlie was old enough this year to really have fun and participate in most of the activities. In fact, we ended up leaving her with Grandma and Papa to keep having fun while Andrew made sure I got to work in time.

I didn't know this but Andrew carts the girls around in our wheelbarrow at home. I though they were just naturals at it.

Love this picture.

Andi and Arlie both enjoyed the petting farm. Arlie was especially delighted that the goat kept trying to eat her admission bracelet.

Nom nom nom.

Well, that's it for part 1. I think part 2 is going to be a photo bomb post. I have pretty cute kids, it's hard to narrow the pictures down. Heh.

Tomatoes, Tomatoes Everywhere!

2011-10-21T23:04:00.000-07:00

We only planted one tomato plant but it's been more than enough. The plant started falling over so we've been picking them and putting tomatoes anywhere we think they might ripen!

Yes, I like to randomly squat on the deck near the herbs. What'cha gonna do?

Dandelions

2011-10-21T22:54:00.000-07:00

This was from a few weeks ago - it was a warm-ish afternoon and I knew we had to get outside and soak it in.

All of a sudden I think Arlie looks so much like Andrew! She seems to flip-flop between the two of us as to who she looks like.

Lost Summer

2011-10-18T22:22:00.000-07:00

I found these pictures that I forgot to post. I read an article in Sunset magazine about a local beach with water temperatures that hit 70 degrees on average in August. Um, we Washingtonians love our beaches but we don't normally get to swim in the water without a wet suit. So we packed up the kids and checked out Twanoh State Park on the Hood Canal.

Arlie's all suited up for water fun! Doesn't she look like a beach volleyball player?

Arlie was kind of afraid of the water at first. And she definitely didn't like that she could see fish swimming. But with Andrew's help she got to the point where she wouldn't get out. The water actually was pretty warm and very clear. I even went swimming!

Andi really like playing with the floaty divider and the small pebbles.

Poor kid couldn't sit upright with her life jacket on though.

Another video of Andi just chilling while we laugh at her non-reaction.

My Happy Bananareena

2011-10-08T12:08:00.000-07:00

The full title to this post should be, "My Happy Bananareena And My Reluctant Bananareena". Arlie was having fun in the dress up box this morning and thought Andi was being left out. You can see the obvious enthusiasm on Andi's face once this was rectified. I wish there was some kind of sarcasm font.

Niiiiiiiiice.

2011-10-06T18:40:00.000-07:00

I had these photos in a folder simply titled, "Andi Has Crap On Her Face". From top to bottom - Oreos, blackberries, and hummus.

Pretty Arlie Pic And A Fun Fact

2011-08-31T22:48:00.000-07:00

A pretty picture of Arlie at the Olympia waterfront

And remember this picture? Typing in "drawn on eyebrows" is now how most Google users stumble onto our blog. I hope people are getting a chuckle out of it and it doesn't somehow come back to haunt her!

Home Park

2011-08-25T00:09:00.000-07:00

We had a really fun Saturday morning before I had to go to work. After going out for breakfast at Roadhouse On The Hill in Key Center we took the girls to the park in Home.

Andi's just not a huge fan of the swing. She doesn't hate it either, she just sits there like you're forcing her to. If you don't believe me, watch this enlightening video:

But she still got worn out. . .

Surreal Arlie

2011-08-10T22:49:00.000-07:00

Arlie is such a natural model. Well, as natural as you can be when you have scrunched yourself into a plastic box with your baby sister sitting on top of it. (Don't worry - this was a supervised suffocation hazard.)

Post #200! Thank you for reading and responding!

Backyard BBQ

2011-08-01T15:09:00.000-07:00

Andrew had his friend Rob come over with his two little girls, Brook and McKenna. Andrew set up all the bright, plasticky fun stuff that we had and they let the girls loose!

Olympic Game Farm

2011-07-26T21:03:00.000-07:00

I had never been to the Olympic Game Farm. It was hilarious. All of a sudden there's a giant zebra head inches away from your face looking for some tasty bread. Or llamas and bison chasing your car down for more.

There's multiple signs saying not to feed the rhinoceros. And of course, poor guy has a slice of bread hanging on his head. Doesn't he even look a little put-upon?

You aren't supposed to feed the animals anything but bread, with threats of a fine from the USDA if found to be giving them anything else. All the other signs tell you not to stop your car for any reason. These idiots (916XZZ) broke both rules. First they created a freaking animal stampede with their forbidden carrots, then they refused to move.

Which created a pissed-off bison who expected us to also have carrots. Unable to move because of the morons in front of us, we are only able to watch helplessly as he starts ramming the side of our car.

Luckily we were able to appease him with some scrounged bread.

Happy Feet

2011-07-24T10:02:00.000-07:00

I love Andi's feet in these shoes.

On an Andi update, she now says 3 words: ball, night-night, and baby. This has all been within the last week and a half. We've been so lucky that she has decided to walk and then say her first words when the family has all been together - something that's a rarity around here!

Rainy Day

2011-07-23T10:43:00.000-07:00

We've had a weird summer this year. Not a lot of sun and hardly any days over 70 degrees. Just mild, rainy, and gray. On one of our warm days it started pouring and the girls went out onto the deck to have fun in it!

I had to draw shorts on Arlie in Paint

Marymere Falls

2011-07-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

Andrew and I took the girls to Marymere Falls. Arlie lasted a good portion of the 1.5 mile hike and still had energy to frolic in the meadow afterwards (you'll see). Get ready for some pictures!

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T10:27:00.000-07:00

For Andrew:

I'm posting this everywhere on the internet because I don't when or for how long you'll be able to check online and I wanted to make sure the bases are covered. Just in case you get to read both of them I'll make them each a little different.

I tried to take a "natural" portrait of us for you and well, it didn't go as planned. . .

Me: "OK, guys. Come over here and look natural"

Me: "Alright, this is good but let's try turning so daddy can see your faces"

Andi: (ooh. a pine cone)
Arlie: "Do you like this pose, mommy?"
Me: (oh boy) Uh, why don't we try something else?

"Interpretive dance it is!"

Happy Father's Day to the best husband and father these girls could ever ask for!

Grease The Kid

2011-06-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

I always know the worst trouble is happening when I don't hear anything. It's kind of hard to see what's going on in the first 2 pictures. . . keep scrolling. . .

Aha, right? Now if you scroll back up you can see more clearly the sheen of grease on my sweet baby. Arlie apparently thought Andi needed some moisturizing.

The Zoo

2011-06-12T22:10:00.000-07:00

I took the girls to the zoo a few days ago and we had a blast! When we first arrived there was a lot of buses parked out front and my heart kind of sank but as we were walking down to the front entrance I noticed the school kids were being gathered up to get back on the buses. Whew!

Arlie of course loved feeding the goats

Andi? Not quite as enthused.

Arlie's favorite: The walrus

Andi's favorite? The fish.

They both enjoyed chasing the pufferfish up and down the length of the aquarium.

Running in a field!

I'm really surprised how much Andi walked. She hardly sat in her stroller, she much preferred pushing it.

Who's on exhibit here?

Andi Has Eyebrows

2011-06-02T21:16:00.000-07:00

I was putting on make-up and I usually let Andi play in the basket since it keeps her quiet for a minute or two. She got a little mark that kind of looked like a drawn-on eyebrow so I amped it up a bit.

You should have seen the look on Arlie's face when she came home and found Andi with eyebrows. She was suspicious and fascinated all at the same time.

Backyard Update

2011-06-02T20:36:00.000-07:00

Our backyard is really coming together. There's definitely a lot more work (and $$$) to be put into it but it's so exciting see our hard work come together into a space that we want to spend time in.

Our shed actually looks legit now. We'd love to add some windows and make at least half of it a potting shed but that's a different project for another year.

The new patio furniture set. Fingers crossed it survives the sun and water better than the last set did. And we accidentally ordered ~~way~~ too much dirt so the berm is now about double the width as it is in these photos. Luckily we have some stuff to transplant in from other parts of the yard.

Even the ol' firepit got a little upgrade. We were going to add flagstone or gravel around it but I kind of like the Adirondack chairs in the grass. Very lake house-ish.

Here we are eating some delicous BBQ. Andrew should have slapped the glass of Ouzo out of my hand while he had the chance.

Arlie's outfit of choice for assembling the chairs. She makes me laugh.

Cute Picture

2011-05-28T22:42:00.000-07:00

Here's a cute picture of Arlie and Andi playing together in a box fort Andrew made for them. In sort of matching outfits. Same pattern, different cuts at least.

I need to catch up on photos but I have June off so you should definitely be looking forward to more frequent updates.

Speaking of, Andi took her first steps unassisted last night. I happened to be home sick and it's really exciting it happened when we were all together. She was after a errant Cheerio. Today Andrew said she was just a little walking fool!

Mother's Day Present

2011-05-10T22:45:00.000-07:00

Andrew surprised me with a new camera for Mother's Day! He even bought a tripod and case to go along with. Arlie's already hopping up excited every time I pick it up asking me to take her picture. Which makes this next picture hilarious. This is her totally posing - I don't even know where she gets this stuff. Certainly not me!

These were just the two best of tonight! I'm excited to learn more about my new camera.

Awards

2011-05-06T23:03:00.000-07:00

I received a nice award from the Washington State Patrol, "District 1 Communications Officer of the Year". Since Chief Batiste works out of District 1 it was a pleasure to get the award from him, he's a pretty amazing leader of our organization and I enjoy working with him.

He was also gracious enough to stay after the ceremony and let us award recipients get some family photos.

I also had an official picture taken with Governor Christine Gregoire but didn't get one on my camera. Guess I'll have to wait and see how that turned out (crossing fingers I don't look idiotic). I had straightened the heck out of my hair but then it wouldn't stay in a very good bun - we're not allowed to have our hair touch our collar while in uniform. So. . . I'm not thrilled it looks so crazy in these pictures but at least it wasn't touching!

Something Fun

2011-05-05T21:56:00.000-07:00

I though I'd add a fun video today as well. Arlie likes playing WII fit - especially the "chicken" game. She's not very good at steering yet but she's definitely got the flapping part down.

Thanks Papa Don!

ETA: Sorry the video isn't currently working it must be Blogger issue since it's working when I go to edit.

Poor Andi

2011-05-05T16:21:00.000-07:00

So apparently talking about how busy you've been and that things are returning to normal tempts fate and you end up spending the day in Mary Bridge Children's Hospital emergency room.

Panda Bear has had a low fever for a couple days but yesterday she was too weak to sit up or crawl. In one particular heartbreaking episode while I was getting Miss Monks dressed to leave, Panda Bear collapsed on her belly and could only move her eyes up toward me. When I rushed over to pick her up she was limp as a noodle. Scary.

I managed to drive normally to the ER. (In my job we come across drivers rushing people to the hospital and driving dangerously to do so. Unless you're in a marked emergency vehicle with a trained driver it's incredibly stupid and unfortunately a lot of them get into accidents - which doesn't help their poor passenger out one bit). I felt like throwing up the entire time and I obsessively kept reaching back to touch her.

After a bunch of tests the doctor is pretty sure it's a bad bladder infection. I'm not happy she's in pain but I am happy it's relatively easy to treat. Today she seems in lot better spirits and has more energy already.

Hey. . .

2011-05-04T20:04:00.000-07:00

I figured instead of beating myself up over not writing awesome posts every time I'd just give myself permission to sometimes throw a silly picture on here and not agonize about the lack of content. Sometimes a picture is enough, right?

Hey. Uh, Andi? You've got something on your face. No. The other side.

Andi's MII

2011-05-03T22:14:00.000-07:00

Pretty good, right?

Grams And Poppy Visit

2011-04-30T10:47:00.000-07:00

My in-laws Ed and Jackie came for a visit a few weeks ago. We took them for a walk along the beach at Penrose and were lucky enough to get there at low tide so we could walk way out onto the spit. It was cold but the sun was shining and it sure felt good.

Arlie wanted to give this baby crab "hugs". Which was fine, as long as she kept her hands flat. Not fine?

Hearing her squeal, "crab hug!" and turning to see her chasing after this crab (about the size of an appetizer plate). This particular crab, sadly, did not feel the love in return and we were able to stop her just in time.

Andi is very proud of herself!

Sehmel Park

2011-04-27T12:06:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been slacking. I've been working 10-hour shifts lately and although I love having 3 days off I don't get much internet stuff done since I get home at midnight and all I want to do is go to sleep.

A few weeks ago Andrew and I were home at the same time and it was sunny (well, it was at one point during the day) so we took the girls to the park. Sehmel Park has the biggest piece of playground equipment I've ever seen. We joke that it's probably visible from space.

I'll do a little update on both the girls here too.

Arlie loves to watch movies and has a major sweet tooth (definitely see the Heater in her there!). She likes to feed Mr. Fishy (pronounced meezerpeeshi) and watch him dart around sucking it up. Although she was slow to start talking, she sure is catching up now and runs around the house singing made-up songs about her family, her nanny, and Mr. Fishy. She likes to wrestle with Andi. She's halfway potty-trained and can go the whole night without an accident.

Andi is a pretty hilarious baby. She's not super-excited by unfamiliar faces so it's hard to share her personality with friends and family outside her immediate family. She's really cuddly and giggly and gets so excited about stuff she waves her arms and legs like crazy. She's always covered in bruises because she overestimates her motor skills but after the initial crying goes back and tries it again. She will clutch my Bare Essentials makeup brush for hours as she plays. She loves to hear mommy's and daddy's voice coming out of the phone. She can't get enough spicy food or salmon.

If you're bored, you can go back up the pictures and try to locate Andrew and I's legs. Like a Where's Waldo. But with only lower extremities.

Birthday Girl

2011-04-08T15:46:00.000-07:00

Arlie's 3rd birthday has been a two-day affair. I had to work on her birthday (have to save up all my time off so I can take June off!) so we went to Ben & Jerry's for some birthday girl ice cream the day before.

In what is becoming a tradition, I made everyone pose before we left:

Arlie eating her ice cream with birthday sprinkles:

On her actual birthday Andrew was sure to take pictures for me while she enjoyed her cake -

- and her new pet, Mr. Fishy.

Deja Vu

2011-03-25T18:18:00.000-07:00

Um, does this look familiar?

Forgive the crusties - photo ops don't always present themselves when the face is clean

Well, it might because I have the exact same picture of Arlie doing the same thing:

And one more of Andi getting ready to chomp:

Apparently our coffee table is very tasty and just the right height for teething!

Angel Baby

2011-03-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

Arlie has always been and continues to be quite the poser. I'm not sure if it's because she's had camera in her face since birth or if some people are just naturally more comfortable in front of a camera.

Like I've said, I'm not sure how the "princess invasion" started. She doesn't really watch shows with princesses or play with princess toys but she insists on wearing "pincess" dresses with her wings so she can be a "pincabelk" (Tinkerbell princess). And castles are "pincess houses".

Arlie's Cell Phone

2011-03-10T17:45:00.000-08:00

Arlie loves to "talk" on her cell phone. She calls Grandma, Papa Don, Tricia, Uncle Dosh, Dorie (Finding Nemo), Grams, Poppy, and Llama (from The Emporer's New Groove), and Aunt Hair (my sister).

She loves to talk about the movies she's seen, what Andi's doing at that exact moment, about her horse Smores, ladybugs, and shopping trips. There's also frequent laughs. Imaginary people are very, very funny apparently.

Andi Update

2011-03-10T17:33:00.000-08:00

Andi's now walking along the furniture. She has such tiny feet compared to the rest of her so she puts them far apart to balance. I love it!

Andi's not technically supposed to be eating solids or even chunky food yet. But then I found her chowing down on a bit of sandwich that Arlie had given her. After the initial panic I realized she was chewing and everything so we started giving her bits of dry cereal to nom on. She's a much happier baby (unless a stranger talks to her) now that she is mobile and can "eat" when everyone else is. Sigh. Both of my babies have been so determined to not be babies.

Parent's Weekend Away

2011-03-10T17:14:00.000-08:00

So. Today I'm going give each of us a post and update you what's going on. I just realized that when you read this it will be 3 posts down on the page but . . . yeah.

Andrew and I were able to take a nice, relaxing weekend away two weeks ago. Due to road and weather conditions we didn't make it to Whistler like originally planned but we ended up at a pretty great lodge called The Willows in Woodinville. So many fun things to do within walking distance!

Arlie just saw this picture and squealed, "Kissies!"

On our way to dinner

It was a nice chance to reconnect!

Andi Stands! And Odds and Ends

2011-02-24T00:16:00.000-08:00

Andi is now officially pulling herself up to stand. And she is COVERED in bruises.

It's funny, Arlie was so - I don't even know how to put this - composed in her daredevil-ness. Even though she was pretty quick in getting to those milestones I always felt she wasn't doing things until she was absolutely ready to.

Not Andi. She throws herself into anything without considering consequences. You really have to watch her! It's fun seeing her personality come shining through.

I'm sorry I haven't been posting much family stuff. Andrew is taking classes after work so we are only a family together a few hours a week. We can't wait to get to the point where we get to see each other more! I also have been spending a lot of time on my other blog, The Suburb Experiment, which is my vanity project. Both of these blogs have been a lifesaver as far a creative outlets, which has been much needed.

Thank you so much for taking the time to come here and read, you don't know how much it means to me!

My Kids

2011-02-11T23:06:00.000-08:00

I'm running out of post titles for random pictures of my adorable children.

I have no idea what's going on here but it makes me laugh.

Andi is teething and the cool marble of the fireplace must be soothing on her gums. I was trying to get a picture of her pulling herself up to stand. Apparently she's going to skip the crawling (forward) stage (she does crawl backwards) and go straight to standing.

Arlie is putting together complicated sentences. She can't quite pronounce everything correctly but that's part of the fun. . .

Reason #43,592

2011-02-05T23:01:00.000-08:00

Here's another reason why I love my family so much:

That's the scene that greeted me when I came up for breakfast this morning.

Kiddos

2011-02-03T19:20:00.000-08:00

Want to know what pure joy and happiness looks like?

Well, this one is more a combination of pure joy and happiness and a preview of what the teenager years might look like.

Aha, much better.

With A Bow in Her Hair

2011-01-26T22:14:00.000-08:00

Arlie refused to wear the headband so I put it on Andi. It's fun until they put up a fight, amiright?

Do you like the photo effect? I think it's neat but there needs to be more hours in a day to put it into more regular use. And it would probably have more impact if Andi wasn't the whole picture. Here's another picture:

Highest Tide

2011-01-25T10:57:00.000-08:00

I woke the family up Sunday morning so we could go look at the highest tide in Washington state this year.

Are you ready to see it?

Are you sure?

It's pretty exciting. . .

Ta da!

Needless to say, Andrew was extremely underwhelmed. Andi had fallen back asleep and Arlie was asking when we were going to eat.

I'm so glad my family puts up with me.

Andi Update

2011-01-07T23:54:00.000-08:00

I wish I could show this picture in it's entirety but it's got some nudiness. Oh, but her chubby wubby legs just make you want nom nom nom on them!

And for this picture, I did not pose them to have their arms around each other, it just happened:

5 months and Andi's starting to be able to sit up by herself for short periods of time, chewing on anything she can get her hands on, and rolling over.

Your "Twos" Are Showing

2010-12-27T00:00:00.000-08:00

I opened up our package from Grams & Poppy and one of the gifts had a little note to Arlie that said "open now". I gave her the gift to open and she happily ripped off the paper to reveal what was inside. After placing the rest of the presents in the present pile I went downstairs to finish getting ready for work.

I came upstairs to this:

She had opened all the presents. All I could do was laugh. We didn't discuss not opening the other presents and even if we had, it's a lot of self-restraint to ask for from a 2-year-old.

And on another day Arlie was talking about having to go to the bathroom. I suggested she go to her potty. Again, I went downstairs to finish getting ready and heard a terrible clattering from above. I ran upstairs to make sure she was OK and found this:

I think you can guess how she feels about the whole potty-training thing.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T07:56:00.000-08:00

For those of you that didn't get this card in the mail due to new addresses it was because someone else was in charge of getting those new addresses from his family.

However, I missed getting these out to a few friends as well, sorry!

Snugglers

2010-12-22T10:41:00.000-08:00

Arlie sat down on the couch, patted her lap and said, "I want to hold her." Considering Andi is a BIG baby I had to make sure to wedge enough pillows around them to keep everyone secure.

Andi just had her checkup yesterday. She is in the 95th percentile for head size, 92nd percentile for weight, and 100th percentile for height. Yes, that's right. 100th. I didn't know that was possible since statistically I would assume that meant she was taller than 100% of other babies her age which would be some sort of record.

I can't get the sound on this video to work on this computer, I hope it does on others. Andi loves to laugh at Arlie's antics. Andrew and I can get chortles out of her but the deep belly laughs are reserved for Arlie. Especially when Arlie fakes falling down. Boy, that is a hit.

Thankmas

2010-12-22T10:26:00.000-08:00

This year due to work schedules and travel plans my family got together to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas on one day.

Andi loves crinkling paper

Heather and Shannon gave us some toy bugs that crawled around. One of them "crawled" under the oven and behind the cabinets. It's so wedged back there the only way someone is going to find it is if they yank out all the cupboards!

Spot the Angry Baby

2010-12-01T22:57:00.000-08:00

When I got out of the shower this morning, I realized that Andi's cries sounded a little angrier than usual. As I hurriedly ran into the other room I realized Arlie had been trying to play with her and was basically emptying the toy box into her crib.

It's the "Where's Waldo" of angy baby

Sigh. I already take like a 1 minute shower. (Except when Andrew's home, then it's like 30 minutes. Aaaaah.) I felt bad for both of them. Andi was mad and Arlie felt horrible that she made Andi cry. So I spent the next few minutes hugging both of them.

I love my girls. Do I say that enough on this blog?

I Love My Girls

2010-11-25T23:29:00.000-08:00

I love my husband too but he gets tired of me taking his picture. Luckily Arlie loves it. . .

And Andi's too young to object.

Windy Weather

2010-11-25T23:22:00.000-08:00

We had two windstorms blow through here spaced one week apart that have wreaked havoc on the peninsula.

The first one was last 2 Mondays ago. The wind was howling! We lost power that time for about 24 hours. Some pictures from our neighborhood the morning after:

The second one came through this last Monday. This time power was out for 48 hours and the temperatures were in the teens. After one night of sleeping in a freezing house we packed it up and spent the second night at my mom's, praying that our pipes wouldn't freeze and burst.

Here's a picture from the morning after that storm:

I didn't take as many photos although the damage was worse. Andrew couldn't even get out of our neighborhood on Tuesday due to all the downed trees in the roadway. Our poor neighbors across the street had a tree come down on their house. . . again. They had to replace their roof 2 years ago after a bad windstorm. We're still driving over downed power lines and dodging transformers on the road. We're very grateful to the power crews that are working day and night to restore power!

Andi Loves Her Feet

2010-11-13T00:11:00.000-08:00

Andi has just discovered her feet. She gets mad if you sit her in her swing and she can't reach them.

Sorry there hasn't been much commentary on the blog lately. I'm back at work again and finding less time for the fun stuff. Boo.

Funny Arlie

2010-11-09T21:16:00.000-08:00

Here's some goofy Arlie pics:

Halloween III

2010-10-31T20:39:00.000-07:00

OK, last Halloween post, I promise.

Today we went downtown to "Trick-or-Treat in the Harbor". The police close down all the roads and the store owners and homeowners hand out candy. There was a lot more people than we expected on the streets.

Arlie had a blast! We could hardly get her to trick-or-treat because she was so busy goggling at costumes. We kept running into a guy dressed as an ape and she'd squeal, "Hi monkey!"

But she quickly figured out how the whole thing worked. Put out your bucket and someone puts candy in it!

Andi disliked her banana costume enough that we just dressed her for the weather today.

Arlie's all tired out!

Halloween II

2010-10-31T14:52:00.000-07:00

I was Rachel Zoe, Andi was my BA.NA.NA, and Arlie was a fairy princess. Can you believe I got Arlie's dress for $1? Only two people at the party last night knew who Rachel Zoe was so me & Andi's costume wasn't very funny - but everyone agreed she was a cute banana.

More Halloween fun to come! Stay tuned. . .

Halloween 1

2010-10-29T16:57:00.000-07:00

I went into work today and brought the girls, dressed up. Arlie is supposed to be a princess but her dress was in the wash so I told her to pick out a princess-y outfit. She ended up looking like a bobby-soxer as one of my coworkers noted. Can you guess what Andi is supposed to be?

A GRUMPY OLD MAN! How nice of her to play along for the camera!

Stay tuned this weekend, there's more costume fun to come. . .

Scarecrow Festival

2010-10-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the Scarecrow Festival in Sehmel park. Arlie was pretty pumped because it involved her getting balloons!

I like how she acts like the balloon is trying to float away with her arm:

We then explored the rest of the newly-opened park. They have a GIANT piece of playground equipment.

I like how Arlie is all, "See ya!"

Andi just liked being cuddled:

Also, I added new "voting" options at the bottom of each post. If you don't feel like commenting but want to let me (and everyone else) know how you feel you can just check off one of the options. They're pretty limited to "Gosh Jenn, you have the bestest kids in the world" but I think you can indulge this proud mommy that, right? Love you guys!

Birth Story - Andi

2010-10-21T13:23:00.000-07:00

I've noticed on other blogs people are writing about their birth stories. I think this is a neat way to share with friends and family that couldn't be there so I'm going to try my hand at it. If you have no interest in this, don't worry, I'll be back to my regularly scheduled cute kids programming soon. . .

The weeks leading up to Andi's birth I was having some pretty painful Braxton-Hicks contractions. It got bad enough that I went on maternity leave earlier than anticipated because it was starting to effect my work. Since my work can deal with, literally, life-and-death situations I didn't think it was fair to be there anymore. On July 26th (the day before the due date) the contractions were particularly strong, but still nowhere consistent in the frequency. Carli suggested I go for a long walk to speed things up.

Arlie and I went for a really long walk at Penrose which I did post about here. The contractions completely stopped. I was soooo mad because I was soooo ready to have this kid! That night we went out for junky Chinese food to soothe my disappointment. Ha! While we were eating I had a really strong contraction. Like the type you have to stop and only concentrate on it. And then nothing. . .

We went home and went to sleep. I hadn't been sleeping in our bed for weeks due to discomfort, choosing instead to sleep sitting up on the couch with the soles of my feet touching. It doesn't sound that comfortable now, but it was AWESOMESAUCE then. I was woken up at 11 by another pretty strong contraction. And then another. I texted my mom that this might be it so she'd be prepared to meet us at the hospital when the time came. Poor Andrew hadn't been getting much sleep so I didn't bother him until it was almost time to go. The contractions were about 20 minutes apart at that point so I somehow fell back asleep which is good since I would need it. . .

I slept so well through some pretty painful contractions that by the time I woke up they were 3-5 minutes apart. Whoops! The midwives had specifically told me to call them when they were 5-7 minutes apart because baby #2 usually comes faster and after Arlie's rapid entrance into this world they didn't want to chance me having a baby on the side of the road on the way to the hospital. I told Andrew to pack it up because we were going to the hospital to have a baby. He woke Arlie up and got her ready. She was unfazed at being woken up at 4am and in a great mood. I love her so much!

We had to stop on the way to the hospital to get gas which is pretty hilarious. (I call driving around with an almost empty tank "riding Andrew-style" I love you Andrew! Mwah!) The contractions were really painful and really put my yogi breathing to the test. (Although maybe too good because this time, just like with Arlie, I was questioned why I was at the hospital even after telling them I was 9 months pregnant when I was checking in. Um, I heard the food was really good here?) They put me in a room where my mom and Don met us and laid in bed to answer a few questions and have my vitals taken. Then it was off to the birthing suite!

The midwife that would be with me throughout the birthing process, Emily Ghilarducci, came and checked on me to make sure everything was progressing. It was. I was dilated 4 cm and managing the pain of the contractions. They put me on a big exercise ball and I rolled back and forth and tried to concentrate on my breathing. The pain started getting so bad that I was shaking uncontrollably and moaning during the contractions. I was going through transition. I finally asked for an epidural. Emily asked me if I was sure since I was already 8 cm dilated I might as well keep going. I was sure.

The anesthesiologist came and put in the epidural and from the beginning I could tell it wasn't "taking" right. Still, it provided me with a little relief and allowed me to rest a little. Then it started to hurt again. A LOT. The contractions started feeling like I didn't have an epidural in. And then it was time to push. It hurt so bad I didn't want anyone touching me or looking at me. I know, sounds weird. Luckily Emily was patient and kept talking to me through the process. I know I yelled a lot of stuff and I remember being conscious of the fact that Arlie was in the room and I didn't want to scare her. Andrew leaned over and told me "You look sexy" which made me laugh. Trust Andrew to be so funny at inappropriate times.

We weren't sure of the sex of the baby so we had girl and boy names picked out. "Sydney Anne" or "Andi Lynn" if it was a girl, or "Bryce Edwin" if it was a boy. If it was a girl we just figured that we would know which name was right when we met her. I had just yelled that I had changed my mind about having a baby after 50 minutes of pushing when the baby came! Emily placed her on my stomach and Andrew, choked up with tears, whispered in my ear, "It's Andi" which is how I found out we had a girl! Emily explained to me while she was stitching me up that Andi had come into this world face-up which is the most painful way to make an entrance. I was feeling sorry for myself because it STILL hurt and I was mad about the epidural not taking when the nurse told me that a lot of women have to have c-sections when their baby is positioned that way. Or they end up pushing for hours until they have to have a c-section. Put into that perspective I was pretty grateful that my little Andi pandi bear was out and OK.

That's pretty much it. This being our second rodeo we couldn't get out of the hospital fast enough. The next day we bugged everyone until they released me. We didn't even stay for the goodie bag. We were ready to be home with our little bundle of joy and her sweet big sister!

Magic Sock

2010-10-19T15:45:00.000-07:00

Remember the movie The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants? It was about four friends that shared a pair of jeans that magically fit them all regardless of body shape or size.

Andi has these socks that are crazy stretchy. So stretchy we just had to see how far we could take it. . .

Here's Andi in her sock:

Now on Arlie's foot

Mommy's foot? Mommy's foot!

Andi's helpfully pointing to my foot!

Da- OK, maybe not THAT stretchy.

Dang! We came thisclose to The Familyhood of the Travelling Sock!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-17T19:22:00.000-07:00

We went to a pumpkin patch today. I think this will be the first year Arlie can get into Halloween. I'm excited to see how she feels about carving the pumpkins. She's already got her mind set on her costume though. She's going to be, "Lincoln ball pincess". Translated from toddler that means, "Tinkerbell". I'm not even sure how she knows who Tinkerbell is or why Arlie thinks she's a princess but she gets veeeeery excited whenever she sees Tinkerbell at the store.

Arlie in her ride

Andi Pandi Bear

We picked out two small pumpkins and hope to carve them tonight. I'll take pictures!

Happy Baby

2010-10-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

I have another happy baby!

Roadtrip: Tres

2010-10-09T21:06:00.000-07:00

Here's some pictures from our trip into the park:

Here's some pictures from Yellowstone Park.

Yellowstone: Arlie Edition

2010-10-09T20:39:00.000-07:00

Every so once in a while I hand over the blog to Arlie. Well, kind of. We use pictures she took and I type her narration. So here's Arlie's view of our vacation:

"Heh. Funny?"

"Kaity!"

"Mr. Ho-ho!"

Road Trip - Part Deux

2010-10-01T22:48:00.000-07:00

This is post number 150. Can you believe it?

Here's pictures from the cabin and Big Springs in Idaho. We had so much fun with family!

My family. Andrew looks super-pumped for this photo!

At Big Springs

Jackie, me, and Andi

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How cute is this?

I do not know what's going on with blogger right now, but on the preview the picture of the kids looks really huuuuuge. It's not showing up in the actual posting screen so. . . we'll see.

ETA: I fixed the size but it won't let me put a caption on it. It would have read "Arlie had a great time playing with Max and Joe"

Appetizer

2010-09-30T22:32:00.000-07:00

I'll get to parts 2 and 3 of the roadtrip - I promise. But for now here's a picture of Andi, now 2 months old next to Blabla the bear. I can't believe she's already longer than him. At her 2 month checkup they said she's in the 90th percentile for height. I believe it!

I was getting a video of Andi fascinated by the mechanism of her swing when Arlie decided she needed to be in the shot, too. Notice how Andi never takes her eyes off the swing. I love my girls so much, how lucky of a mommy am I? Sorry it shows up so small, I can't figure out how to make it bigger:

Road Trip - Spokane

2010-09-22T22:26:00.000-07:00

So. Last week we got home from a 1600 mile roadtrip and I'm just recovering! Would I recommend doing that with a toddler and a newborn? NO. But we had a great time with friends, family, and I got to meet some amazing new people!

Riverfront park

This is from our first stop, Spokane. We basically just slept there but I lived in Spokane for 5 years during college and beyond and Andrew had never been there so I had to show him around at least a little bit. He had only heard really negative things about Spokane from other people. If you need fun to crawl into your lap and scream "I'm here!" then Spokane's not the place for you. You definitely have to seek out your experience. I loved living on the South Hill, working downtown, pepper steak sandwich at The Onion, The Rocket Bakery, antique shopping in Coeur d'Alene, after-work drinks at C.I. Shenanigans, after drink gambling at Northern Quest (bad idea), lazy summer afternoons at Lake Roosevelt, estate jewelry at Finders Keepers. . . I could go on but I'll stop now. You get the idea.

Andrew and Andi

I put this on Facebook too but it's so funny I have to share it here. Hotwire.com says in the fine print that the hotel we book only guarantees that the room can accomodate the number of people on the reservation, not necessarily the number of beds in the room. Which is how you find yourself in this situation:

Giant Bed

The next post will be the cabin in Idaho and after that Yellowstone. It's a three-parter, folks!

P.S. Do you like the new format with the larger photos or did you like it with the smaller pictures? I'm not sure if this new size if overwhelming or not!

Secret Agent Girls

2010-09-09T20:29:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when mommy and daddy get a little loopy from too many hours in the car. We send our kids off to be spies. Or Groucho Marx impersonators. We let them choose.

August Roundup

2010-08-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

I love Arlie outfits. She picks out her own outfits most days and they are pretty creative. I think Heather's right - I should give Arlie her own blog, it'd be part fashion/part photography. Brilliant.

Andi's getting so good at holding her head up. She loves to look around.

She's also getting so big. At one month she's outgrowing 3 month clothing. I took a picture of her next to Blabla her bear when she was newborn, I wish I could find it because the amount she's grown in one month is remarkable.

Andi Says Hi to Grams and Poppy

2010-08-25T10:16:00.000-07:00

Andi hasn't met her Grams or Poppy yet so I thought I'd have her send a little video message to them.

Andi

2010-08-24T18:25:00.000-07:00

My Little Photographer

2010-08-24T18:19:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned here before, Arlie likes taking pictures. Hundreds of them. It's fun to go through them and see what captivated her interest. She's telling me right now what's in the photos so that's what we'll name them:

"Feet? And Robe. Blanket!"
"Mommy. Baby Tister"

"Arlie!"

Proud Big Sister

2010-08-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

Arlie is such a proud big sister to Andi. She's very helpful and so gentle and for some reason really obsessed with whether or not she has a dirty diaper. ??? Whenever I take Andi over to the changing table Arlie starts hopping around and angling for the best view. It's like she's expecting Andi to start pooping gumballs or something.

Andi Pants

2010-08-10T12:18:00.000-07:00

Lake Minterwood Picnic

2010-08-08T21:14:00.000-07:00

We walked down to the lake for the annual Lake Minterwood community picnic. There was food, games, and fun!

I think this is my new favorite picture of Arlie.

Me and Andi. What an awesome addition to our family!

New Andi

2010-08-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

It looks like Daddy and Andi are having a conversation.

Great-Grandparents

2010-08-02T14:13:00.000-07:00

Arlie and her great-grandparents in Kent.

Sisters

2010-07-30T08:09:00.000-07:00

Well, other than the fact that one turns chili-pepper red when she's crying I think they look like each other. I forgot about Arlie's toad belly until I started flipping through the scrapbooks. Seriously, look how round it is!

I'm In Love - AGAIN!

2010-07-30T07:29:00.000-07:00

Between my husband, Arlie, and my awesome extended family and friends I've been surprised by how much capacity for love I have. Because just when you think it can't get any better or you can't open your heart any further, this happens:

Hee. Carli, I thought of you when I took this. Andrew and I both have long toes but those are definitely her own!

Andrew's Girls

2010-07-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

Arlie loves her "baby tister" and wants to show her toys, give her goldfish crackers, and cover her up with a blanket. She doesn't like it when she's "noisy" though.

Sleeping Sweetie

2010-07-29T12:37:00.000-07:00

I just realized I didn't really post a close-up in the last post. Probably because in all of those already on the camera, you guessed it, there was also boobs. I didn't think you guys needed that. So I just took a picture of my sweet baby girl snuggling in my lap.

Andi Lynn Heater

2010-07-29T12:02:00.000-07:00

IT'S A GIRL! Born July 27, 2010 8 lbs 4 oz 21 inches long! She was born on her due date just like big sister Arlie. I don't have a ton of pictures yet, as I've talked about previously my husband isn't much of a picture taker unless it's scenic and then we'll have 20 pictures of the same trees. He actually did take more pictures than this unfortunately my boobs are featured in 90% of them so not suitable for the blog. Mmmmhmmm.

First bath. Look at those chubby cheeks! I love them so much already! Andrew's already dubbed her "Chipmunk" so now we have Monkey (Monks, Miss Monks, etc) and Chipmunk.

Getting ready to go home. Since we didn't know what we were having I had packed a gender-neutral outfit but my mom wanted to get her something special to go home in so right after Andi was born she went out and got this adorable little outfit. I didn't get a picture of her in the jacket but I will.

Funny side note - I think newborn Andi and newborn Arlie look pretty different except in pictures when they're crying. Then you'd be hard pressed to figure out who was who in the photo. I'll try to post one of Arlie soon for comparison.

Andi playing Halo with Andrew. She's not crying here she was actually pretty alert and checking things out. I now have two practically identical photos of both Arlie and Andi playing Halo soon after they were born. The more things change. . . you know?

Long Walk

2010-07-29T11:57:00.001-07:00

I didn't realize my camera was still set to "retro" so that's why these pictures kind of have that feel.

I had been feeling strong contractions but they weren't in any rhyme or reason so I took Arlie to Penrose and we walked aaaall the way out onto the spit. I had heard long walks would help things progress. Well, "placenta-brain" kept me from remembering to put on sunscreen (which I do religiously usually) so I ended up fried - and with NO MORE CONTRACTIONS.

Little did I know that 18 hours later I would have added our second daughter to the family!

Random Arlie

2010-07-29T11:53:00.000-07:00

You can buckle the girl in her booster seat but you can't keep the girl in the chair. Or something like that.

I swore that I would never be one of those parents that kept a bunch of brightly-colored plastic crap in the backyard. It's just that she has so much fun with it! Sigh. At least it's temporary.

Fun With New Camera

2010-07-19T19:25:00.001-07:00

I got a new camera! As it happens I locked myself out of the house today and instead of being at the doctor's appointment like I was supposed to I ended up playing with the camera settings while Andrew came home from work to let me in.

A sample:

Vivid.

One of my favorites - retro. This will be a perfect setting for BBQ pictures, kind of a 70's-early 80's feel.

Another retro.

Sketch setting. I think it's cool but could definitely get overused or kind of cheesy.

One more on the sketch setting.

Baby Bellah

2010-07-18T20:15:00.000-07:00

I look like I'm wearing one of the "empathy" bellies they make dads-to-be wear in prenatal classes.

JUMPING!

2010-07-18T20:06:00.000-07:00

Arlie loves to jump! Fortunately she usually precedes it by yelling "JUMPING!" so you have time to run around finding her and what she's jumping off of. Here Andrew is giving her a helping hand.

If you look closely it looks like she's levitating.

Arlie and CarrieBear

2010-06-23T10:13:00.000-07:00

Arlie wanted me to take pictures of CarrieBear.

Here's them getting ready to have their picture taken.

Here's the "aren't-we-having-so-much-fun-together?" shot.

"Are you getting this mommy?"

"How about one with just Carriebear?"

Random

2010-06-15T21:25:00.000-07:00

It was a nice day outside yesterday so Monks and I ate our meals outside.

And I realize my pedicure looks terrible but not too bad when you consider there was a squirming 2-year-old on my lap. And of course, I couldn't paint my toenails without painting hers too.

Veggies are growing pretty good! The lettuce looooves the cool, wet weather we've been having.

This is the first time living in this house I've seen this tree "fruit". I have no idea what it is but they're a pretty color.

I love how green everything is. I hate that we have a 1/8 acre driveway. It's handy for get-togethers though.

Memorial Day

2010-06-04T23:13:00.001-07:00

We had some friends over for BBQ to break in our new patio. We woke up to pouring rain but unexpectedly the sun came out in the afternoon. It's been raining so much that even I couldn't resist getting out in it. I got a sunburn on my shoulders!

Matt knows real gangstas in Gig Harbor wear Coach.

Here's a view of the patio. It still has a little work, a border and beds, but looking good so far!

It took the guys 2 hours to find these fist-sized marshmallows. I might be exaggerating - but not by much.

Earlier in the day when the temps were nice and we were enjoying all the food Andrew was barbecuing. He barbecued bread sticks, pizza, burgers, salmon, asparagus, corn, and crab. We ate ALL DAY.

Arlie loved having all the dogs here. The dogs had fun chasing birds and the birds had fun teasing the dogs.

Cabin Fever

2010-05-28T11:45:00.000-07:00

We rented a cabin on Mayfield Lake in Lewis County for some family getaway time.

And some fishing time for Andrew! We took the canoe out Monday morning. Arlie looks so small in the canoe in this picture.

We paddled up a river to check out a waterfall.

Arlie had fun with the bait worms. Most of them ended up liberated in our garden here at home.

Arlie's lifejacket has a very convenient handle. Especially if you're a really tall guy trying to keep tabs on a very small girl.

With the belly I can't turn around in my seat to see what Arlie's doing so I took a picture over my shoulder. She looks so suspicious!

This is my re-enactment of Andrew tipping over the canoe. He went fishing by himself and apparently the canoe is a liiiiitle too big for just one person and WHOOPS. A few things about this picture:

1. Andrew was not fishing naked. Ken is from the early 90's and his only outfit is a puffy shirt/vest combo. I figured Andrew would hate me sharing this enough without his stand-in looking like a Color Me Badd reject.

2. Please note the fishing pole at the bottom of the tub. This is accurate.

3. Also the cup represents the container of worms he saved while staving off hypothermia. Luckily there were no fatalities. I sure would have been upset if we had lost any worms.

Hi Daddy!

2010-05-28T08:17:00.000-07:00

With Arlie being such a prolific picture-taker there's always hundreds of pictures to be gone through and deleted on the camera. And in all those pictures of the rugs and close-ups of little fingers I found this one. And I love it. Andrew and Arlie have such a special father-daughter relationship I feel really lucky to be part of this family.

New Patio

2010-05-12T08:39:00.000-07:00

Our big project this year on our house is a new patio in the back. The existing cement slab is so ugly and too small for the proportions of our yard. So we took on putting pavers over 660 square feet to liven it up and create a more liveable outdoor space.

Don came over to help us and help us he did! He and Andrew worked so tirelessly through the day all the way into the night hauling gravel, sand, and bricks into the backyard then meticulously measuring and setting it up. Don also has done this kind of stuff before so he had great advice which we appreciated since we're new to it.

Halfway through the day. We went with an offset basket weave pattern.

Andrew is getting really good at cutting the bricks. He did an awesome job cutting bricks to go around the deck supports.

Me the big pregnant lady finally helped at the end of the night while my mom put Arlie to bed. The guys had stopped the cutting for the night so they were just screeding and placing brick. And the only place I felt I could help without getting in the way was with the paver-laying.

We thought we'd stop when Don and my mom left for the night but we couldn't help ourselves and kept going. We even broke into the 3rd pallet of pavers which puts us more than halfway through! Andrew and Don are going to finish it this week.