The Holiday Season

The holiday season is in full swing at our house.  Evelyn must have heard the phrase on the radio (because we all know she doesn't watch any TV, so couldn't have heard it there), so her favorite thing to say these days is "It's the holiday season!"

 

Last weekend, we got our Christmas tree (no fake ones for this Northwest girl!) and quickly got it up and decorated.  Of course, we had a little help.

As soon as Evelyn finished decorating the tree (or the 2 square feet right in front of her), she decided she needed to read a story to the tree.

Jeanie got in on the action as well.

Last night, Santa made a special stop in Waukee to visit all the girls and boys.  Ethan must have been a really good boy this year, because he got a special call from Santa who asked him if he would help during his visit.  Never one to pass up the opportunity to wear an elf costume, Ethan was more than happy to help out.  So, I bundled up the girls and braved the hour-long wait in line by myself so we could visit with the big guy in red.  In line, I asked Evelyn what she wanted Santa to bring her for Christmas.  Her response, "A candy cane."  So I asked, "Don't you want him to bring you a toy?"  And she said, "No, I have toys at home."  Her daddy was so proud.

 

 

Evelyn the Patriot

Every morning on the way to "school," Evelyn and I drive by a HUGE American flag.  When it's not flying, she asks "Mommy, where's my big flag?"  And when it is flying, she salutes and says...

 

9 months!

Yesterday, our Jeanie was 9 months old.  Yikes!  Every month it amazes me how quickly the time is going by.  Its hard to believe that she's this close to being a year old!  As of Monday, here are her stats:

 

Height: 30.5 in (99th %)

Weight: 26 lbs 4 oz (99th %)

 

Jeanie is definitely not the snuggler Evelyn was.  Ethan and I were remembering the other night how Evelyn would be perfectly content to sit and cuddle after her nighttime bottle.  Jeanie, not so much.  This girl wants to move!  She's had a number of bumps and bruises from daycare recently - we've been told that she wants to be in the middle of all the action, doing everything the older kids are doing.  She's got 3 teeth and you can see the 4th, just waiting to make it's appearance at the right moment.  She has been a slobbering mess lately!  I caught her at daycare holding her own bottle a couple weeks ago.  Just tonight, she was able to hold and drink out of her first sippy cup!  She's not quite crawling, but has the army crawl down pat and has recently been getting up on all fours, rocking back and forth like crazy.  Like I said, this girl wants to move!

Rub-A-Dub-Dub...

...Happy girl in the tub!

 

 

Happy Halloween!!

I still don't understand why we Trick or Treat the night before Halloween (Beggars' Night) out here, but it is what it is.  Evelyn was TOTALLY in to Halloween this year.  I think it started around July when she informed me that she wanted to be a witch for Halloween.  Not just any witch, a purple witch.  Right then and there, we called our seamstress, Bama, and put in our order.  Once again, Bama amazed.

 

Last year, we were lucky to make it to maybe 6 houses.  This year, we headed up 2 blocks on one side of the street, came back down the other side, then turned and went up and down another block!  At that point, Evelyn saw Daddy handing out candy and wanted to get "Daddy's treats", so it was time to head home.  She did an awesome job... needed a little coaching at the first few houses, but then really got the hang of it and went up to the remaining doors by herself, like she'd been doing it for years.  After each house, she said "Another one house Mommy," and off we went.

 

Our purple witch, getting ready to head out. 

A purple witch and a black cat. 

A quick family photo courtesy of our dear friend Sara. 

Evelyn with her favorite baby-sitter, Erica.

 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

8 months!!

Has it really been 8 months since our Jeanie Bug came in to the world?  Holy cow!

 

At 8 months, Jeanie is sitting up like a pro, although she still can't get there on her own. :(  She is also a girl on the move!  She is *this close* to crawling and has perfected her army crawl.  The baby sitter tells us that, if she can't be right next to Jeanie, she has to put her in the ExerSaucer otherwise she rolls or crawls away.    She has 2 bottom teeth and is working on the top ones - maybe that's why she's been waking mommy up at 5:00 am lately.  She is still such a happy little girl... the worst part of her day is the instant after her last bite of food when she realizes there is none left.  The best part of her day (at least in my opinion), is the big hug and kiss she gets from Evelyn when she leaves in the morning.

6-7 months

So, we got a little off schedule at Jeanie's 6 month appointment (SNAFU at doctor's office - we're seeing a new pediatrician now) so I thought I'd just throw her 6 and 7 month pictures into one post.  I don't know what her stats were at 6 months, but at almost 7 months, here's how she stacked up:

 

Height: 28.5 inches (99th %)
Weight: 25 lbs. 11 oz. (99th %)

 

Go figure.

 

Happy 6 month old!

Happy 7 month old! (The sticker ripped, so you'll just have to trust me.  My bad.)

 

Our big girl is sitting up on her own now.  Well, she can't get there on her own, but if you sit her up, she stays that way.  And, although she's not crawling yet, she gets around like crazy, scooting and rolling all over the place.  Her favorite place to be?  Where Evelyn is and playing with the toys that Evelyn doesn't want her to play with (aka, all of them.)  As I'm sure you can imagine, she still loves her food - sweet potatoes continue to be a favorite.  And as long as her belly is full, she's happy.  We're dealing with some separation anxiety these days - she's fine if I'm not around, but if she sees me and I leave the room or walk away, she gets pretty upset.  This is frustrating for both Ethan and I - Ethan, because there's not much he can do to soothe her; me, because it's really hard to get anything done while you're carrying around 26 extra pounds.  She loves to be tickled and she has the sweetest little laugh.  It's music to my ears and instantly brings a smile to my face.  I love this girl!

Summer Vacation, Part II

Wednesday

After a fun morning at the zoo, we loved that the wind died down enough to go for a boat ride!  Evelyn couldn't wait to run down the dock to Papa's Boat.

 

No, really.  She was super excited!  She was just bummed in this pic because she had to put on her life jacket and wait for the rest of us.

Jeanie started the ride with a crying fit (I, actually, thought she and I would have to stay home) but Bama was able to calm her down.  Then, the last 20 minutes of the ride, Evelyn was crying hysterically!  Nothing and no one could get her to stop crying.

Luckily, both of them stopped long enough for us to get a family photo.

Thursday

Thursday was Mom & Dad's "vacation."  We left the girls with Bama and Papa and headed to Seattle for the day.  We had a wonderful time and couldn't have asked for better weather.  Even after all this time, we still enjoy spending time together - just the two of us.  There were a few times, though, that we found ourselves sitting in silence, but didn't mind at all.  Those moments are few and far between any more and we took full advantage!

 

After a morning of "touristing," we found a great local bar (where I had probably the best Cosmo ever!) and watched Seattle's local talent until we met one of my absolute best friends and her husband for dinner.  We always love our time with Gina and Lars, and that night was no exception.

Every time I take the ferry to Seattle, I take this picture.  I just love the Seattle skyline... especially from the water.

You'll start noticing a theme here.  A fun Russian bakery at Pike Place Market.  We shared a DELICIOUS apple-cinnamon roll.

After a spin through the Market and a snack at the bakery, we headed to Pike Brewing for lunch and a beer (or two.)

Ethan had never been to the Space Needle, and it had been since high school that I'd been.  You don't understand just how big this thing is until you're standing right underneath it!

Bringing back the self-portrait.

Beer and wine at 500+ feet, with Lake Union in the background.  Unfortunately, due to wildfires, the sky was a little hazy.  I was hoping for a good shot of Mt. Rainier, but you couldn't even see her through the smoke. :(

Friday

Our last day. :(  We, again, took Evelyn to the park in the morning.  She threw more rocks, did more climbing and ate more blackberries.

 

That afternoon, the big kids (Evelyn and Ethan) had a great time playing in the water!  Before dinner, we headed down to Alderbrook for a couple drinks and to listen to Biff, a local musician who plays a mean ukelele!  Friends Molly & Jerry arrived as well, and it was nice to share a drink and visit before saying good-bye.

Keeping it classy.  Life jacket, diaper and boots.  What more do you need?

Following the last big storm, Bama & Papa acquired a slide that had come loose from someone's dock.

 

Evelyn loved it!

Do it again Daddy!

Our fearless little fish.  The slide just wasn't enough.  She wanted to go "schwimming" too and had a blast jumping off the dock.

Ethan: "The sun was in my face."

A beautiful Hood Canal sunset.  Doesn't get much better than this.

A Roberts/Owens family photo.

Summer Vacation, Part I

As is our tradition, we spent a week vacationing in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.  We thought we would have a pretty relaxed trip, with a few things planned here and there (including a couple days to "relax"), but it turns out, we were busy the entire time and the week had come and gone before we knew it.

 

We travelled on Saturday, leaving Des Moines around 6 am.  The girls were great on the planes - Evelyn is old enough that we could plug her in to a movie and she'd watch the whole thing (it helps when it's a new movie - Tangled!) and Jeanie slept the entire way!

 

Sunday

The girls were still on Central Standard Time, so we were, literally, up before the sun - about 4:30, actually.  Ugh.  We had an uneventful morning, followed by a WONDERFUL afternoon!  My cousins Amy & Jenny (each with one of their children), my aunt & uncle, Gramma and friends Molly & Jerry all came to the house to visit.  Everyone got to meet Miss Jeanie and it was so much fun (as always) to see everyone.  It's days like that when I miss the Northwest the most.

 

Evelyn, Jeanie and McKenna watching Tangled.  These cousins sure do love each other and I am so happy they had the chance to spend some time together.

 



Great Gramma Betty meets Jeanie (and gets an armful!)

Great Gramma Betty and both of her girls.

Monday

Knowing our oldest child like we do, we know that the days go much more smoothly when she has the chance to get outside and run around.  My parents' place is kind-of secluded, so we Googled parks in the area.  Little did we know, there was an AWESOME state park about 6 miles away.  It had a great playground and a creek running through, with lots and lots of rocks just waiting to be thrown.  Evelyn also got a taste of her first wild blackberry!

 

Evelyn climbing in the play ground and hamming it up.

Throwing rocks.

Tuesday

We made the 2-hour trip out to Ocean Shores to take the girls to the beach and to dip Jeanie's toes in the ocean for the first time.  Along the way, we stopped and picked up Great Nanny so she could make the drive with us.  The weather cooperated (which is unusual on the Washington coast, in the morning) and we were all able to dip our toes.  Evelyn had a great time running around, splashing in the water and digging in the sand.  She's a beach bum, just like her dad.

Evelyn and Daddy, heading in to the waves for their first splash.

Posing for Mom.

Jeanie's first dip in the COLD  Pacific Ocean.  She wasn't too sure what to think.

Too cute not to include.  Jeanie & Papa.

I was lucky to snap a shot - Evelyn was on the go the ENTIRE time!

Great Nanny and Jeanie relaxing in the Swagger Wagon.

 

Wednesday

We headed to Tacoma and to Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium.  Again, the weather cooperated and was wonderful!  I have decided that this has to be the most beautiful zoo in the world (or at least in this country), sitting atop the hill at the end of Point Defiance, looking out on to Puget Sound.

 

Evelyn is a big fan of almost any zoo, and this was no exception.  She loved the aquarium and ran around saying "Bama look!  Mommy look!  Look mommy, shrimp!  Look Bama, sea star!" and on and on.  We probably could have spend the entire day in just the aquarium.

The view from the main entrance.  Gorgeous.

Inside the shark's mouth!

"Bama look!  Fishies!"

Sitting on Dub Dub, the seal.

Watching the walruses, 2 of which were napping right in front of us... and snoring!

Getting up close and personal with E.T. the walrus.  This guy was huge!  And I mean ginormous!

That's How We Roll

Look what I can do!

5 months old!!

I woke up yesterday as I do every day.  Then it hit me... our baby is 5 months old!

Jeanie is such a love!  Although she hasn't the last 2 nights due to a yucky cold, she sleeps through the night and wakes up happy.  She LOVES her rice cereal and does a great job eating - so good that I think I'll try the real stuff this week.  While Bama and McKenna were here, she rolled from her tummy to her back (I haven't seen it, but McKenna SWEARS she did!)  She's *this close* to rolling from her back to her tummy.  She's sitting up better, but still needs someone to keep her from tipping over.

She's a happy girl and a patient girl (she has no choice, as her sister has been a PILL lately!)  It was just Evelyn and I at home Thursday night and, as tough as it can be sometimes with 2 kiddos, I missed my baby.  It just wasn't right without her here.