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!

Punta Mita 3.11

Well, we're back from Spring Break in Mexico and we had an absolute BLAST!

Olivia loved every second of the trip - pool, beach, cousins, swimming, sand, extended family, food all day long! She's at a funny stage of going "shy" when the camera comes out, so I unfortunately don't have all that many great photos of her. But prepare yourself for a long post anyway, because I took a billion photos and had a hard time whittling down which ones to post.

This is the totally awesome infinity pool right on the beach. We spent almost every morning here :).






This is the face she makes when she's swimming. Pure joy!




We also spent some time at the beach. Olivia decided that she is, once again, petrified of the ocean, but she loved playing in the sand.


There was also a lazy river at the resort, so you know we hit that up a few times!


The hubs, getting his float on.


One of the best parts about the resort? (I mean besides the pools, the beach, and the lazy river?) Snacks. Every hour, brought to you in your lounge chair. This might have been O's very favorite thing!


One happy kiddo.


O's favorite game: throwing stuff in the pool. Then yelling "ugh oh!" and trying to wiggle her way into the pool to rescue whatever she threw.


Uncle Kevin came along as well. Olivia absolutely adores him!

(Yes, she insisted on bringing her "pretties" along. I almost made it out the door without them but she spotted them and it was all over.)

Waving goodbye to the sun with grandma.


Greg, Erin, Carson and Quin came along as well, and Olivia LOVED having her cousins around. She was always following them everywhere, trying to keep up with the big kids.

The 3 kiddos. Chaos.


Pausing for a Curious George break.


I honestly have no idea what's going on here, but they were so cute all crouched down together!


These two are definitely going to be double trouble once Olivia starts talking more! Olivia totally idolizes Quin.






Carson, ready for some pool action.


Boo!


My adorable niece snuggling up with her favorite guy - grandpa.


Greg and Erin. Miss you guys!


Carson turned 4 while we were in Mexico and we got him a rocket launcher.
I'm pretty sure it was a hit!




A few obligatory family photos from our last evening in Punta Mita.




Until next time...


Thank you, Wayne and Chris, for such an amazing trip! Words will never be able to express our appreciation... We are so blessed to have such an amazing family!

3.16.11

As you may have guessed from my lack of posting over the past week, all of my germ prevention did absolutely nothing to prevent me from catching the flu from Doug. Ugh. I'm just coming back to life, next year I'll definitely be getting a flu shot!

Anyhoo, I organized a St. Patrick's day cupcake decorating event at Cupcake Royale for our playgroup. It was totally chaotic (25 toddlers plus moms and other little babies, mixed with cupcakes, frosting, and sprinkles) but the kids had a blast! And the best part? We got to make a huge mess and someone else cleaned it up... I love events like that :)







(sneaking spare cupcakes off of the tray)


On a totally different note, since the whole 'using the potty incident' a few weeks ago, O has been pretty insistent on hanging out on it a couple times a day. However, the closest that she's come to using it again is peeing on the ground next to it. Awesome.

I'm pretty sure that part of the reason she's so interested in the potty is because she gets to be naked (she actually insists on being completely undressed while she hangs out on there). And then once she's done she runs away and parades her naked self all over the house.


And when I tell her it's time to put her diaper back on this is what she does. I'm so glad she's already learned to ignore me... just a taste of things to come I'm sure!


Hope everyone is having a good week!
We're leaving on Saturday for some of this goodness, I can't wait!!!