simple Sunday

Here we are, latter July and I am sitting in my new (to me/Craigslist) armchair listening to the somewhat enchanting & somewhat maddening sound of gentle and steady rain falling outside.  This summer has been a bit back and forth.  Some days feel wonderful and I sit in my backyard on lunch breaks and early evening eating fruit and hanging out by the kiddie pool.  Other days we sit inside and wonder why it is grey outside again and raining.  I long for a true summer.  One where you can leave all your stuff outside on the lawn and the steps and not worry about it getting wet overnight.  A summer where you don't have to have a sweatshirt or rain coat on hand and you can truly pack it away for a few months.  One where you get the box of summer clothes out and put away pants and close toed shoes and dry grass and windows open while you sleep.

But alas, that was not today and is not tonight.  It was a lovely day today besides the weather.  Woke up a bit too early for my taste (6:45) to a somewhat hysterical 2 year old crying.  As I gathered my bearings and went to her room we discovered it was only a missing purple Binky, heavens!  Then came the request to snuggle with Daddy...which truly only means getting into bed with us but not really sleeping or even really snuggling.  After about 20 minutes of trying to sleep while she wriggled and snuggled I left Abe to sleep a bit more and make some breakfast before church.  Aven and I made "baby cake cakes" aka Dutch Baby Pancakes with fresh strawberries and coffee.  We listened to some good 80's dance music and headed off to church while Abe helped our new neighbors rebuild their living room floor (they are in way over their heads).  I helped out with the toddlers while they played listened to Bible stories and ate fishy crackers.  I met a lovely little boy who needed some extra hugs named Kavin.  It was very sweet because as I was holding him, Aven kept patting his shoulders and saying "it's okay buddy" and then going around to his other shoulder and patting it and saying the same thing.

After church we made our way to a friend's birthday party at Lake Padden.  The rain had let up long enough and a bit of sun and blue sky was overhead.  Aven looked at the ducks, claimed she saw a turtle, went down the slide, got an owie, ate a cupcake and went on the swings.  We enjoyed the grassy expanse and the laughter of friends and a break from the grey.

After this Aven went down for a nap and I finished my book club book (hooray).  It has been way too long since I actually finished a book and it had been my pick so I felt especially responsible.  I went to Fred Meyer alone to get some groceries (lovely) and spent a bit of extra time browsing through the sale items, without a toddler in tow.  Came home and made a bit pot of Tortilla Soup for book club and then went over to dine and discuss The Hangman's Daughter.  Considering it was a group of adults, my toddler did quite well but when she started to get a bit crazy Abe took her home and I stayed to enjoy a bit more adult conversation.  My friend made an amazing cheesecake with fresh blueberries and a pot-de-creme, delicious!  We selected our next book: On the Corner of Bitter & Sweet and parted ways in the damp summer evening.

It was a day of relaxation, family, community, food and cooking.  All in all it was a great Sunday.  Sometimes the simple days and moments of life go by quickly and unnoticed or unremembered but it is these moments that make our lives feel fuller and richer.  A moment sitting with your child eating a cupcake, a sweet and totally unrestrained act of care from a child, an amazing dish or pot of soup, the laughter of friends.  Relish these moments, survey them in your memory, capture them in photographs and hang on to their beauty.

I am thankful daily for all the blessings I am so undeserving of but yet have received anyway.  These moments are a blessing and I am so grateful.

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July

...to fireworks...to food...to friends...to neighbors walking by who join in the celebration...to family visits...to sparklers and surprises and ridiculous silliness of friends...to 2 year olds and 7 year olds and babies and Dads, the celebration was fun!

Thanks for helping us celebrate (again) - to the Youngs & the York Neighborhood.  It was a beautiful day and seeing the smiles and giggles of the kids with their red/white/blue popsicles and sparklers brought a smile to everyone's face.

summer vacation

I recently had the opportunity to visit some good friends in Spokane that I hadn't seen in a long time and Aven hadn't seen since she was only 2 1/2 months old.  It was wonderful to have the kids play together and to just spend time relaxing and enjoying the sunshine, which thankfully was plentiful.

Day 1:

Went berry picking at Green Bluff, ate tons of blueberries and picked a few as well as carrots and a few tomatoes.  The kids ate snacks, picked berries, ran around on the farm, rode in the wagon and enjoyed the sunshine too.  It was a beautiful warm sunny summer afternoon.

That night after the kids went down Erik graciously stayed at home and Andi and I went out for dinner at local restaurant Twigs.  It was quite delicious and I had a yummy mojito and delicious Kahlua Pork Tacos- they were awesome!

Day 2:

This day consisted mostly of hanging around the house relaxing in the morning and letting the kids play (and Aven taking her nap).  Audrey (6) painted this lovely picture while I was there.  Aven loved playing on Audrey's bed and with all of her dolls and toys.  She equally loved Elliot's books from the library about big machinery and his toy planes organized neatly on his nightstand.  The kids seemed to fall into a routine of playing together with rests and breaks between.  The mornings consisted of the Mommys drinking coffee and the kids snacking on cheerios while breakfast was made and conversation was had.

By the afternoon it was time to prep for Andi's book club.  We ran some errands, picked out some snacks for the get together and dropped off the kids with Erik.  Andi and Aven and I went to Home Depot and got a new light switch- I fixed their bathroom switch while I was there (even connected the wires and all!).  I felt very handy- probably way more that I normally am at home.

We had fun putting all of the snacks on fun colored Fiestaware dishes and using vintage linens to decorate the new picnic table outside.  Aven and I enjoyed the warm evening air as laughter and discussion filled the backyard and the daylight faded and candles lit the faces of these lovely ladies.  

Again we stayed up way too late catching up on life and talking about everything. 

Day 3:

The last morning we struggled to get out of the house on time.  We had planned on going to a bakery on south hill- Rockwood Bakery- and then over to the nearby Manito park for the kids to play.  I was planning on hopping in the car and heading out when Aven started getting tired- hopefully around noon. Our 9:30 turned into 10 and then 10:30 and then we finally got out of the door at 11.  It was a lovely bakery- very Seattle- like with delicious cinnamon rolls, muffins and coffee.  It was embedded right into the neighborhood with no other businesses around it so it really felt quaint.  Afterwards we went to Manito park- drove around the outskirts a bit and then found a play area for the kids.  Wow, it was busy- even for a weekday!  There were screaming kids everywhere climbing and jumping and laughing and crawling and sliding and running- it was busy.  Aven kind of just took everything in for a while- it was a bit overwhelming but she finally took to the slide and crawling on some other things as well as swinging on the swings.

Then it was time for goodbye.  Andi and I took turned taking pictures of the kids and each other.  It was a wonderful time with such a good friend.  It has been years since we've really just gotten to hang out one on one and spend some quality time together.  It was so fun to watch the kids play together and to catch up on life.  

Miss you sweet friend.  Wish we could see you more over here on the West side.  Many blessings to you and your family.  Thank you for your hospitality and friendship.

new babies

Welcome Micah 

After a trip to Spokane (to be blogged about soon) to visit a friend, I was reinvigorated to use my camera.  Technology has always intimidated me and I don't feel like I naturally figure things out but once I do I love to use them!  She showed me some really great tips of how to take pictures in low light and indoors since I have had a lot of issues figuring this out and know that often flash doesn't really make the best pictures.

Armed with this new knowledge, I set out to visit Micah Ross, my good friends' 10.5lb newborn baby!!  Here Micah is only  4 days old and he was so sweet and relaxed.  It was wonderful to be able to hold such a new baby and to smell that sweet baby smell.

Congratulations Mommy Jess, Daddy Tim and Big brother Kyler- you are a beautiful family.

new babies

Just had to post some pictures of my friend and co-worker, Vanessa, and her husband and brand new baby, Rogue Harrison.  I got to go see them a few days after he was born and hold the tiny little guy.  Well, in reality he isn't that tiny.  He is a pound bigger than Aven was but after having a 1+year old it is easy to forget how tiny they come out (thank goodness)?  Mom did awesome.  Twelve hours of labor, 13 minutes of pushing and back home in 2 hours.  They are all doing well and adjusting to their new lives as parents.

Annual Girls Weekend (#3)

In no particular order, some moments from this year's girls weekend.

Aven playing with the vintage toy I found at the Antique Mall.
Super cute with a little squeaky red button on top and fluttering eyes- Made in Holland.

There are this year's ladies (- me)- Nancy, Sophia &
Kari out for a lovely day of shopping.

We squeezed in a little time for Sophia & Aven to have a
play date while Kari went to a wedding.  It was cute watching
 the two girls only about 7 weeks apart and then
 we went to the local Franklin Park for some swinging & sliding.

Sophia & her beautiful blue eyes.

Nancy & Sophia- relaxing for a quiet moment.

Nancy wanted to practice using my camera
and she took this really cute picture of Aven
- so rare for me to capture her smiling in a photo.

On our way to a yummy Sunday morning breakfast
@ Harris Ave Cafe in Fairhaven.

Sweet little miniature bouquet on our table.

Inside of Harris St. Cafe w/some unique oil paintings of
faces lining the walls.

Kari, browsing for fun vintage greeting
cards and other silly memorabilia.

Nancy enjoying a moment without any
kids in her lap on Friday night @ dinner.

Sophia, happy and delightful.

Perplexed at all of the shopping- but so cute.

Nostalgia, vintage clothing - browsed for the perfect
wedding outfit for Kari- Nancy got some
awesome & really sweet vintage skirts.

Downtown Fairhaven, WA.

Super cool light post in Fairhaven.

It seems that one drops off every year- the first year there were 5 of us and we went to Seattle in November- then last year only 4 and we went to Portland in February- this year only 3 and we are in April....hard for all of us ladies to really organize our lives and now all of our babes but we're going to make a better game plan for next year.

The weekend was pretty non-eventful but relaxing all the same.  Stayed at a friend's condo in Fairhaven and walked to breakfast, dinner & shops right around the corner.  Went to Vietnamese food on Friday night- stayed up late talking and relaxing at the condo- drinking a little wine & eating ginger snaps from Trader Joes.  Had a large gathering of ladies @ Milagro Mexican restaurant on Saturday night where the staple order was the big Mama Margarita- chips, salsa and guac.  Had a fun time catching up with some ladies I rarely see and getting to know others better.  Closed down the place and stood on the sidewalk talking until the rain sent us scattering.  Stayed up until 2 am chatting and discussing life, family, God, kids and the like.


Kari and I hit up the Antique shops on Sunday after we ate breakfast @ Harris Ave Cafe in Fairhaven.  All that shopping made us hungry so we squeezed in one more kid-free outing @ the Mount Bakery and split a savory & sweet crepe before heading home.


First time away from Aven went fine and it was lovely to just relax, eat out and have no obligations for a weekend.  Can't wait until next year!

It is beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.....

Well, the official start for many is the day after Christmas. It is the day that used to be acceptable to start selling Christmas decorations and start preparing your home for the holiday cheer. Our season was jump started by about 3 inches of dusty white coating the ground on Thanksgiving. It was a beautiful day. It warmed up and melted that evening and all was back to new the next day. In our house, we didn't bust out the decorations until this last week. Abe and I got a Christmas tree at Youngstocks Farmstand here in Bellingham. While I will admit that it isn't as fun as trudging around in the snow searching for the perfect tree or even going to a tree farm and using their dull hacksaw to cut one down ourselves after wandering the aisles, we do enjoy the nostalgia of getting a tree (as opposed to the fake tree). It was a chilly Sunday evening but we got our complimentary free coffee and wandered around looking for an economy tree. One that would be cute and not too sparse but one that fit our budget too. It was pretty cute because I told Abe I had brought the camera and that I knew it was sort of cheesy but I wanted to have a photo taken with our tree. I honestly thought he would sort of make fun of me but instead he said, "yeah, we are capturing family memories." It was sweet.

The tree sat bare for a few days until my Mom and her husband, Bill, arrived. While we were all supposed to decorate the tree together, Abe said he'd "supervise" which apparently meant fall asleep on the couch while we decorate. Oh well, the lights were strung up, the ornaments hung including many handmade ornaments from my childhood. In fact, there are two simple construction paper candy canes with glitter that I made when I was who knows how small that have survived all these years. Nothing fancy. I do remember hanging them every year growing up though. I get really excited about decorating and someday would love to decorate the whole house! Last year my friend Kari and I came across an antique store with vintage Christmas Post Cards. They were so cute and I loved reading the messages on the back. Some were sentimental, sweet and sappy and some were cordial and plain. I selected two that were postmarked 1908. This was the year that my house was built so in my mind it was as if these were postcards that could have been received by the original owners of the house.

We had an early Christmas with my Mom and her husband and were generously showered with gifts, mostly for Aven. She was thoroughly entertained with the packaging and had to put every single piece of paper in her mouth. It was actually pretty entertaining. She got some Green Toys "My first Stacker," lots of cute books, some snack cups for traveling, baby food storage containers and an adorable plush fish bowl with assorted items that can be put in and taken out and that make fun noises when squeezed or touched. We had many ambitious plans to bake and cook but things take longer than they should and you end up changing the plans. It was so nice to see them and wonderful for Aven to interact and play with the grandparents.

Yesterday brought our annual Christmas Party. We usually do it open-house style to accommodate the large number of invitees. This year we had a great group. Lots of yummy snacks and wonderful people. I made an Olive Oil Citrus Cake from this book and it was super moist and yummy, highly recommended book & recipe. Always good to have friends over and have the house filled with laughter and voices, it makes me happy to have a bigger house to accommodate these sorts of things.

Today was the quiet after the storm. The house was already cleaned and decorated and there were enough leftovers to nibble on throughout the day. Aven was fussy this morning from her extremely interrupted sleep schedule last night but when she wasn't she was an absolute doll. She is starting to wheel herself in a circle and when she can get enough friction, she'll push her bum in the air and try to push forward (these are the precursors of crawling). I don't think she'll be quite there for Christmas but soon after I bet she will.

Well, the sights, the sounds and the smells of the season are about us. Hope yours is shaping up nicely and that you are spending enough time relaxing and having fun and not stressing about that Christmas list.

Happy holidays to all of you.

A Night Out

Well, unfortunately this picture is sideways and not that great. It is also really difficult to take into scope the true greatness of this moment but let me elaborate. Last night four girlfriends and I went out for a last minute girls night (Elizabeth's last hurrah as our friend Alli called it). Elizabeth's due date is/was today (she ended up being in labor while we were hanging out last night!). Alli wanted to organize the girls to take Elizabeth out to distract from the impending due date and no baby so far. The guys (our husbands) had already made plans for Monday night football. What are we to do? Guys take the kids out to Coconut Kenny's for beer and pizza while they watch the game and the ladies go out for dinner & wine! I had to stop by to drop off some more milk for Aven but Tyler & his daughter Riley, Jason with his sons Bjorn & Asher and Abe with Aven all flanked the table filled with pitchers and food. It was a heartwarming sight. A lot of guys could shrink at the fact that they are out with their kids or have to take them all out but here was a bunch of dads unabashedly enjoying a male activity with their little ones in tow. Needless to say, it made me happy. I snapped my photo and was on my way to some girl time. We had a lovely evening and Elizabeth announced that her contractions were about 5 minutes apart. We all walked her around the block, gave her well-wishing hugs and then someone drove her home since things seemed to be progressing. All in all, it was a great start to the week.