Monday, July 14, 2014

Seven Years!

Happy anniversary to my wonderful, loving, kind-hearted husband. It's hard to believe that it's been 7 years since we walked down the aisle and pledged our lives to one another. As we watched our wedding video tonight (a tradition since our first anniversary), it reminded me of the friends and family that support us, the love that we have for one another, and the commitment that we made. The camera panned across the audience, showing friends and family who have since passed, as well as all of the kind hearts that have supported us through the years. To everyone who has surrounded us in our marriage: thank you.

And to my husband: I love you more than ever, and I can't wait to see what the next 7, 27, and 77 years have in store for us! Happy anniversary, babe!


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Monday, February 10, 2014

Snowy Sourdough-y Sunday

We had a snow day on Sunday, so we took the opportunity to play in the snow with Matthew. He was hesitant at first -- excited but unsure about the mysterious white substance that had blanketed our neighborhood. Since the Seattle area is not quite known for snow, we weren't exactly prepared with snow gear; so we improvised!

Laundry baskets: also useful as a toddler sled!

Faster Daddy, faster!

This is fun!

Stop taking pictures Mom! I want to play in the snow!

After spending some time "sledding" in the neighborhood and socializing with some of our neighbors, we came inside for nap time. While Matthew was down for his nap, I intended to make us a fresh loaf of sourdough bread to accompany our dinner. What seemed like a simple task quickly turned into a royal mess!

It seems that the sourdough starter container was sealed too tightly, which made opening the container an explosive experience. Fortunately, I opened the starter in the kitchen sink; the last thing that I remember was the hissing noise that the container made as I peeled back the top. The next thing that I remember is Lennie coming around the corner asking me if I was okay. I was okay, but I was covered from head to toe in sourdough starter! It was everywhere -- dripping off of the ceiling onto my head, covering the cupboards, and it had even splattered into our dining room 10 feet away! I felt like I was in an "I Love Lucy" episode or something!

We're still finding sourdough starter around the kitchen. We worked the rest of the day to clean every surface in the kitchen; all the while laughing at the situation. If you have any ideas on how to get sourdough starter off of the ceiling, we're definitely open to suggestions!

Lennie attempting to remove the sourdough starter from the ceiling...

Sunday, February 02, 2014

Ready for the Big Game!!

Who's excited for the "Big Game" today? This household is certainly excited about the Seahawks vs. Broncos match-up! All three of us have been rocking our Seahawks gear all day, and are excited to cheer on the home team.


Showing off our Seahawks gear.

Taking advantage of the sunny winter day to get some energy out at the park before the game.

Headband art project from daycare earlier in the week.

Seahawks logo, as colored by Matthew.

Go Seahawks!

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Choo-Choos

One of Matthew's new words is "choo-choo," especially since he got his train set for Christmas. Since we were headed out to run errands and explore the Snoqualmie/North Bend area, we decided to take advantage of the sunny weather and walk through the trains outside of the train museum. Overall, I'm not sure that Matthew made the connection between the cartoon trains that we watch on YouTube or the toy trains that he has at home. Nonetheless, we had a great time exploring the outside of a few trains before going shopping.



While in Snoqualmie, we also enjoyed a great lunch at the Snoqualmie Brewery. We're not quite sure what they put in the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but this is the first time ever that Matthew ate a whole sandwich in a single sitting! It was quite the sight! (Note that we had to make a wardrobe change after lunch due to the messy nature of the delicious sandwich...)

After our shopping excursion, we pushed the limits and stopped by the North Bend Bar & Grill for dinner. Not one of our finest moments as diners, to say the least! Just after being seated in the restaurant, Matthew began playing with one of the menus -- launching it into the only glass on the table with a lid, tipping it over, and sending a river of water onto our table. (The other two water glasses, sans lids, stayed upright -- that takes some talent!) There was so much water that the staff had to bring over rags and a mop to soak it up! Not the worst thing to happen, but it was one of the first times that we felt like "that" family with the noisy kid who threw his toys in the walkway and was generally not happy to be there. I'm sure that we've got many more dining experiences like this ahead of us.... sigh.

Overall, we had a great time together exploring, shopping, and generally enjoying ourselves. So glad that we get to make these memories -- both fun and not so fun.

Sunday, January 05, 2014

Clean Slate: Pondering the New Year

As we've rounded the corner into 2014, I've been thinking about what I want to do with the New Year. What changes do I want to make? What things to I want to keep the same? How to I want to approach the blank canvas of the next 365 days? How will I make the most of this 'clean slate' that we've come upon?

While we were driving to meet with friends on New Year's Day, I joked with Lennie that Matthew's goals were pretty clear:

  1. Widen his vocabulary -- soaking in all of the new words, sounds, and communication skills that lay before him -- and help us to better get to know his personality, wants, and needs.
  2. Widen his food palette -- experience new foods and tastes, and broaden the list of 'acceptable' foods that we can put on the menu in a regular rotation. (This mom can only make so many chicken nugget dinners without feeling guilty!) 
My goals don't seem as cut-and-dried. I'm still pondering what I want to do with this clean slate, but the old standards are echoing in my brain: 
  1. Move more; get more active, get out and about, see more of the beautiful area that we live in!
  2. Drink more water. Water's good for you, so why not be mindful of what I take in and how hydrated I am? Added bonus: this is the first step to making better nutritional choices, etc.
We'll see what comes of this "clean slate" that's before us in 2014. So far, I have a feeling that this is going to be a great year, full of potential and exciting opportunities. 

What are your plans for your "clean slate" in 2014?