happy fall

yesterday was a beautiful day, cool in the morning and crisp in the late afternoon but the dogs and I still managed to catch a few sunny minutes in the mid-day when Aven took her nap, the beautiful goldenrod leaves carpeting the back yard and the dew mostly dried by the end of the day

best friends

sun lovers 

now that she's mobile...

Seems like there isn't much time to blog anymore since my baby went mobile! It happened only a week ago and now there seems to be no area of the house that is off limits! She learned to crawl one day and was all over the place the next. So, other than keeping up with her, hanging with the dogs, praying the rain won't last all winter, watched guilty pleasure tv shows like Glee and Fringe and cooking lots of yummy food, we haven't done too much!

Just thought I'd share some pics of what life looks like with a mobile baby. Aven loves playing with her toys especially her Green Toys "Tool Box" (including hammer, saw, pliers and wrench) and "My First Stacker." She also loves watching the doggies chew their toys on their blanket and they are totally okay with her getting right in there with them- so very cute.

Some quick things of interest:

• started crawling on Tuesday Jan 25th
• pulled herself to standing without any help from people on Saturday Jan 29th
• can use her pincer grasp to give herself small pieces of food
• loves dairy like yogurt and string cheese so far
• likes her healthy vegetables like carrots and sweet potato
• likes chicken dishes like a sweet potato, apple chicken and onion dish I made her, yum!
• learned how to cover her face and play peek-a-boo with us on Wed Jan 26th
• still loves being outside and taking walks, seems to calm and quiet her and she loves taking naps in the backpack
• still loves being swaddled- the Velcro on her swaddle blankets is wearing out and she is almost 9 1/2 months but the other night we tried just going with a sleep sack and it didn't work at all
• is a very determined baby so far, when she does or doesn't want something, she seems bound and determined to get what she wants one way or the other
• is still a very good nurser and usually only wakes up 1 time a night but often sleeps through
• has started really looking at the texture of things like images in books and large dark fonts, notices small dots and pices of dirt on the floor (and there are so many!)
• only takes a pacifier when she is going to sleep at night
• loves taking baths and showers
• is growing and changing so much every day!
• is still a small little girl- wears many 3-6 month onesies, mostly 6-12 month pants (for the length), weighs in at only 15.5 lbs, is in the 4-5th percentile on weight and the 25th percentile on height
• is a mostly happy and sweet little baby and our very favorite of all

Beautiful Bellingham

Just enjoying a beautiful yet chilly sunny January afternoon.

these are a few of my favorite things...

a beautiful handmade scarf from my dear mother-in-law for Christmas with a darling little flower- thanks

Aven's first truck

Green Toys-Recycling Truck made of 100% recycled milk jugs, non-toxic and made in the USA- I want her to have a variety of toys

darling little Hazel Atlas Eggnog cups from my friend Kari for Christmas

another ridiculously cute handmade hat from Grandma to Aven- a little big for now but she'll be drop dead cute when it fits!

Abe's Bible Action figures from childhood- yes please! Most likely Simon Peter, Jesus (in his royal robes of course) and Samson. Can't wait until he has to explain these to Aven.

My sweet girl Ethel on Christmas day, just patiently waiting for some yummy scraps to fall on the floor and watching the babies play, laugh and scream.

Did I mention how talented my mother-in-law is? Here is Aven in her Bumbo with a handmade bib that doubles as a washcloth- so cute.

watching Eleanor share the limelight with babies-Asha was offering her present to Eleanor to help her open it, very sweet

watching the funny things kids do- cousin Asha carrying around someone's slipper at Christmas- who knows why it was so intriguing but it was

of course my little Aven patiently waiting for her Christmas meal in her vintage high chair, so cute!

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Hope your holiday was filled with some of your favorite things. Blessings to you in the coming new year.

A Nearly Perfect Weekend

You know when you first get married and you just want to spend all of your time with your spouse and everything seems fun and special, even cleaning the house and going grocery shopping? You just want to do it together because you are cute little newlyweds and you want to hang out all the time. To me that is a lot like having a baby. Don't get me wrong, I truly enjoy my breaks and time away to mentally recuperate from taking care of an infant (although she is a pretty good baby) but sometimes on my days off I just like to listen to her gurgle, read her lots of stories, give her a bath and just gaze at the wonderment of what it is like to be a baby growing and changing so fast.

This last weekend was no exception. It was the first weekend we'd both had off together since we went camping mid-August. On Saturday we slept in and woke up next to our beautiful little girl smiling at us in bed. We often bring her in for the last few hours of sleep just to snuggle a bit (and lets be honest because I am too lazy to go put her back in her crib at 5am!). Needless to say, it was a nice way to start the day. After this we got ourselves put together and made a plan for the day starting with breakfast at Marlin's Cafe (inside historic Nelson's Market). We walked the few blocks and enjoyed a yummy breakfast and coffee while Aven took a short cat nap in my arms. Next we went and installed some cabinets for a job that Abe is working on. It is always nice to see the finished project coming together and this was no exception. The job isn't totally done but it is coming together. Afterwards we browsed the restore and found a locking mailbox for only $20. Finally we went on a hike with the dogs. It was perfect weather and we had a great time. After a little down time at home we rode our bikes (taking Aven in the bike trailer) to the Greek Food Festival. This is about the 6th or 7th year in a row I've gone. Nothing can beat fresh cooked Loukamades (like Greek donut's cooked in hot grease and sprinkled with cinnamon and lathered with honey)...YUM! Afterwards Abe went to a friends house to drink beer and watch movies and after I put Aven down for bed I relaxed on the couch and cuddled with our doggies.

Sunday was pouring down rain all day but after church Abe watched Aven so I could go to the mall and shop for some new work clothes. My trip was successful and I got a lot accomplished in only an hour! After I got home we straightened up a bit and I made dessert to take to a friend's house while Abe took in a quick bike ride with Eleanor while their was a brief break in the rain. We went to the Young's house for dinner (a Javanese-chicken curry-Indonesian food). As always it was delicious and a new experience for me. I've got to learn how to cook with curry. Mostly it was a great night of good food and fun hanging out with our friends. While we were chatting and eating dinner, Aven rolled over from her back to her front for the first time. She was laying on a blanket next to my chair and all of a sudden she was under my chair! She's done this same thing a few times in the last few days (waking up in the middle of the night since she's rolled onto her tummy and can't get back).

No day is really perfect because there are always bound to be dirty diapers (with babies of course), some disagreements or frustrations but overall we had a wonderful weekend as a family. It is okay to let some things go like cleaning and the like to spend time together and that was exactly what we did.