Summer Salad

To me, there is nothing better than Caprese Season, I mean Summer. Today's lunch included a big bowl of tomato, basil, and mozzarella -- my favorite! The tomatoes and basil were from our garden, which makes the meal even better.

Yum!

I've Got This Daddy!

Today as we made our way into church from the far corners of the parking lot, Matthew decided that he wanted to walk by himself the whole way. It's like he was saying "Don't worry, Dad, I've got this!"

What a cutie -- I love watching this guy learn and grow!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

This past weekend, we had the opportunity to get away and celebrate our sixth wedding anniversary. We trekked up to Birch Bay, Washington to enjoy some time on the beach and generally relax for two nights. Mom stayed at home with our son, and had a great time, and we took our first weekend away. It was with mixed emotions that we drove away from the house and our son. On the one hand, we'd really miss our son's laughter and his never ending curiosity. On the other hand, we really needed a full night or two of uninterrupted sleep.

The weather was fantastic, we got to dip our toes in the water, walk along the beach hand in hand, and sleep through the night. As an added bonus, we attempted to fly a kite while the the tide was out. (Strong emphasis on "attempted," as it must have been pretty amusing to everyone who watched us try to fly a kite...)

I am so grateful for the time that I got to spend with my husband on a weekend away. Mom had a great time with our son, and we got to reconnect and relax in the sunshine of Birch Bay.

Happy anniversary, babe! I can't wait to see what adventures and fun the next year brings. I love you!

Happy Fourth of July!

We had a nice quiet day as a family. The Internet repairman finally came out and fixed our connection (after a lot of phone calls and a harrowing week without connectivity), and then we made our way down to Carnation for their annual Fourth of July celebration. Here are a few of the photos that were taken by Photo Orchard to mark the occasion:

We returned home tired but happy from our time in Carnation. We grilled up some hot dogs, spent some time with Matthew, and then after Matthew went down for the night, we went outside to enjoy some of the neighborhood fireworks displays. Our neighbors really know how to put on a show too! What fun! I hope that you had a great Fourth of July, and that your summer is off to a great start!

Family Photos - December 2012

Mid-December, we had the good fortune to work with Amanda of Amanda Rose Images to have family photos taken. It was a great session, and I think that we got some fantastic pictures out of the deal. Here are a few favorites:

>> View all of the FANTASTIC photos from our session.

11 Months Old!

Where does the time go? It seems like it was just yesterday that you were a twinkle in our eyes and a wish in our hearts.

January was a rough month in our household -- filled with back-to-back illnesses and one minor accident involving taking out the trash, some black ice, and some wonderful neighbors and construction workers coming to our rescue. We're looking forward to turning over a new leaf of health and wellness in our household, and we can't wait to see what the days ahead bring!

End of January Recap - Bring on February!

I have to tell you, January was a rough month in our house. 2013 started with us making a visit to the emergency room at midnight on January 2nd. Unfortunately, Matthew had a respiratory infection that we simply couldn't quell using home remedies (humidifier, steamy bathroom, etc.), so we packed the family up and tromped to our local ER in the middle of the night. Thankfully, we were surrounded by friendly and efficient ER staff, and the doctor kept looking at me and saying things like "you absolutely did the right thing bringing him in," and "he's going to be fine, but he needed to come in." What a relief that it wasn't more serious, and I definitely am glad that we went in when we did!

After the early morning ER visit, Matthew continued to battle the croupy respiratory infection for quite some time (weeks, in fact). We finally got Matthew feeling well -- for three whole days -- and then he came down with the flu just in time for my first business trip away from home.

My week-long business trip was scheduled in the middle of January, and while I got on the plane to Irvine, CA, Lennie was left at home with a sick kid. I landed in Orange County on Sunday and on Monday Lennie took Matthew to the doctor. I am to understand that the daycare sent Matthew home because he was feverish and inconsolable. Lennie took Matthew to the doctor, where he learned that our son had the flu (which was sweeping the country at the time), and that we couldn't take him back to daycare for the rest of the week. A prescription was written for Matthew, and Lennie dropped by the local pharmacy to pick up supplies. The prescription turned into quite the odyssey, as none of the local pharmacies had what we needed in stock. Poor Lennie and Matthew had to go two towns over just to get the prescription (and they got the last dose that the pharmacy had!).

The good news is that Matthew began to recover throughout the week. On Thursday, Lennie was preparing to take Matthew to the doctor for a follow-up appointment to assess his condition and to determine if the boys could come to Southern California to meet with me and visit family for the weekend. Lennie was running early for the appointment, so he put Matthew in an Exercauser while he stepped out to take the trash out. Unfortunately, there was black ice on the driveway, and Lennie took a spill on the first step outside of the garage -- landing hand first on a glass jar in the trash bag. The result: two deep cuts on Lennie's hand and quite a bit of blood loss. Fortunately, we are surrounded by construction workers and some fantastic neighbors. The construction workers saw Lennie fall, and immediately came to his aid. When they couldn't get the bleeding stopped, they called emergency services, took care of Matthew, and got me on the phone. It was a long, arduous day that somehow included two ambulance rides, two ER trips, and a lot of pain for Lennie. What I learned through all of this, though, is that we have a great community of people here to help us. For that, we are eternally grateful!

First Trip to the Park

We had a rare day here in the Seattle area where the sun came out, and the crisp clear day was perfect for a long family walk and a trip to the park. After walking around the neighborhood, we stopped at the local park and Matthew got to play on the swings and take in the sunshine.

Here are a few photo highlights:

10 Months Old!

Our little man keeps growing and growing! Every day we are amazed at the new things that he does, the wonder in his eyes, and the love that continues to grow in our hearts.

Christmas 2012

It was our first Christmas as a bustling little family. Matthew began crawling even more -- and his mobility got him to the tree, but thankfully he wasn't very interested in pulling at ornaments or any of our decorations. He was fascinated, however with our rocking reindeer that sings "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer."

The wrapping paper and his new 3-in-1 Zebra scooter/walker toy were an absolute hit. We enjoyed spending time with my parents and relaxing in the quiet moments of the holidays. Here are a few photo highlights:

We're so blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family in our lives! Happy holidays everyone -- here's to a great New Year ahead!