Ode to Springtime

This spring has been yuck, yuck, yuck. (And that's putting it nicely because this is a family blog, people). The Seattle Times summed it up this week when it said "the Seattle area experienced the longest stretch of bone-chilling daytime temperatures for April in the 120 years since record-keeping began." Greeeeat. I'm honestly pretty stoked I stayed out of town for most of April!

I feel bad complaining because there are other places SO much worse off than us weather-wise. Tornadoes in the south, severe snowstorms in the east... I really shouldn't whine at all! But coming from spending most of my life in CA, a chilly spring is a total let-down.

Anyhoo, today was perfectly glorious and a definite reminder of why we live here. Sunshine, blue skies, clear air, and a perfect morning at Kelsey Creek Park with wonderful friends. It's definitely my new favorite place. This momma is one happy camper, and I can't wait for summer!

O getting as close as possible to her new bunny friend.


BFF Maren and a freshly sheared sheep.


Adorable Nash and his mom Lauren checking out the chickens.


Happiness is...
Shoving small sticks through a hole with your best buddy.


These two are too cute together!




A few shots of Kelsey Creek Park. Gorgeous!

California (continued...)

We spent the week following Easter in CA. Picnic, the park, the pool, the zoo, BBQ, shopping... we did it all, Irvine-style! Here's a random sampling of photos from the week:

Snack time at Castle Park with her buddy Dylan.


Hanging out at Irvine Spectrum.


Someone has the Pearlstein men wrapped around her little finger!






Doug came into town at the end of the week... Here we are all fancied up for Terry & Janelle's wedding!

It's so rare to see us dressed up these days, I'm so glad I remembered to get a photo in the chaos of heading out the door with O crying hysterically and yelling "mommy, hug" because she had figured out that we were leaving her with a babysitter for the first time. Happy to report that despite her initial dramatics, she actually did pretty well. We're definitely going to have to use sitters more often. Freedom! :)

Irvine Park Zoo!


An attempt at a family photo (with a very wiggly child).


BBQ with my best buddies Amy & Jen.


There were chocolate cupcakes at the BBQ, which O was all over. This photo is pretty hideous, but it cracks me up!


I tried to have a little impromptu family photos session in my parent's backyard on our last day there. Doug unfortunately had to leave the day before I did due to school obligations, which is why he's not in any of these pictures.

Easter 2011

Olivia and I spent Easter at my parent's house. They absolutely LOVED having their granddaughter there and, of course, spoiled her rotten!

The day before Easter there was a giant egg hunt at one of the local neighborhood parks. The best thing was that we lagged and missed the chaos of the actual hunt, but brought a few eggs and scattered them on the grass and she had no clue that she had missed out on the actual event.

Olivia quickly caught on to the fact that eggs=candy.


There was also an awesome petting zoo. We had to wait a good 30 minutes to get in (an eternity in toddler time), but it was totally worth it. I don't know that I've ever seen her so excited! The poor animals.

The chicken! All she wanted to do was give him a "hug". She's been talking about the chicken all week.

(In fact, she just saw this picture and yelled "chicken!!!")

"Dunny!"


Getting up close and (too?) personal with the goats.


She figured out that she was better off getting on the duckling's level.


After this excitement, it was time to dye some eggs!


She LOVED it.


Showing off the finished product.


Easter Sunday brought another egg hunt, this time in my parent's backyard.

Kid on a mission.


This is her new super cheesy happy face - huge grin, looking down.


Chillin' with her loot!




Of course, the Easter Bunny also brought her a basked filled with sand toys, chalk, and bubbles!


Her favorite part of Easter Sunday? Peeps!


Post about the rest of the week to follow...

5.1.11

Helloooooo friends!

We're back from a long, fabulous trip to So Cal. Pictures to come in the next few days, but here's a pretty cute preview of the goodness!

Earth Day

We had some playgroup buddies over today to do a fun little Earth Day craft. Unfortunately, Olivia was NOT in the mood to share her backyard and her toys with the other kids, so the beginning of the playdate was a bit rough. Let me just say that a case of the terrible (almost)twos combined with multiple molars coming in is not fun for anyone. But once she finally got into it she had a pretty good time!

Chalk and play-doh. The ultimate toddler combo.


Finally snapping out of her funk. Thank goodness for swings and cookies :).


O hard at work on her masterpiece!




Ta-da!

Good day, sunshine

Spring has sure taken its time to reach Seattle, but we've FINALLY had some gloriously sunshiny days lately.

Friday we took full advantage of the nice weather and headed to the zoo in the morning with BFF Maren (of course). The penguins were a big-time hit with the girls.




We also attempted the carousel. As you can probably tell from her face, she wasn't very impressed.


The highlight of the zoo trip? Watching airplanes, of course! The kid is obsessed.


We followed up the zoo with some three and four-wheeled fun.



(Is there anything cuter than a dad pushing his little girl on her trike? It makes me oh-so-happy.)

Saturday O came down with a horrible cold, just in time for Doug's birthday weekend celebrations. Boo. He still managed to have a pretty fun weekend, but unfortunately us two girls were stuck at home for the most part. Why is it that kids always get sick at the most inconvenient times (like when you actually have fun plans)? In summary, this is basically what our weekend looked like:

Happy birthday, Doug! Sorry I didn't take any pictures of your big 31st. But you'll all be glad to know that he enjoyed some of his favorites over the weekend: bikes, baseball, and beef.

Anyhoo, O is on the mend, and since we're sequestered away from other kiddos until she recovers we had some fun out in the backyard this afternoon.



(This dirt pile is my garden bed, which I'm hoping to get planted over next weekend. So domestic, I know. Last year was a complete garden failure but I have high hopes for this summer...)

How darling is this handmade sweater? My grandparents (O's great grandparents) sent it to her last year and it finally fits! Love.


Until next time, happy spring from (sunny!!!) Seattle :).

Besties

These are my besties from LA: Jen, Melanie, Amy, Kelly and Felicia.
(Only two of them still live in LA, though!)

Amy and I met in a slumber party in elementary school and declared that we'd be "best friends forever". And we have been! We basically grew up together, and I love being able to say that we've known each other for over two decades (although it also makes me feel really old). She definitely knows me better than most, and I know that she'll always be there for me. Kelly and I lived on the same floor of the freshman dorms at UCSB (yeah FT!) and we became fast friends and ended up joining the same sorority at and living together for a few years. She's one of the sweetest girls I have ever met.

Here's where it gets a bit more complicated as to how we're all intertwined...Amy met Jen at UCLA, and they were in the same sorority. Jen is an amazing friend, and can always bring a smile to my face. Jen's childhood best friend is Melanie. Mel is a crack up, she has an incredible sense of humor and always makes me laugh! Her husband is from Seattle, so I'm fortunate that I still get to see her a fair amount :). Then Jen met Felicia at their first post-college job and they quickly became buddies. I met Felicia through Jen when I went to a pajama party at her house and we were friends from the beginning. Fe is so kind-hearted and so much fun! So when we all lived in LA (Amy, Kelly and I were roomies for years) our lives became interconnected and we became a fabulous group of girlfriends.

We've sure changed from our younger years of wild nights out on the town, but these girls are such wonderful friends and I feel so incredibly lucky to have such an incredible network of ladies. There's nothing better than girlfriends. This past weekend we met up in Palm Springs for a 'girls weekend' and had the best time relaxing by the pool (kid free!), catching up, gossiping, and eating of course :). It's so amazing that we can meet up after much time has gone by and it feels like we've never even been apart.

And the best past of all? I returned home relaxed and refreshed to a happy kiddo and a happy husband, who had a fun-filled father daughter weekend together. A party, the aquarium, a play date, shopping, new toys, and a visit with the grandparents - I'm pretty sure she's realized that Doug is a lot more fun than I am!

Can't wait for our next weekend, ladies!