Five Peas in a Pod

Pictures from her 24th month:)

2011-07-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

On the 4th of July we headed to the beach for some fun in the sand!

Nelia loves corn on the cob, which we have been grilling this summer.

Loves for her BFF Roary:)

A fun playdate with Stella

Snow White:)

Making cookies, although we had to start over again because she accidently knocked over the mixing bowl and everything went onto the counter. That's okay though!

Pictures from her 23rd month:)

2011-07-09T19:57:00.000-07:00

At her friend Avery's 2nd birthday party...eating an Elmo cupcake that took her forever to eat!!! Like, seriously, she was eating it for about 30 minutes!

I recently bought her a toy set of hair accessories and make-up, which she has been loving! She gets to use her own hairdryer and straightener and put on her make-up while mama gets ready:)

Except sometimes she decides to put the make-up on Roary instead of herself:)

Such beautiful hair Nelia:)

These pictures were taken on our last playdate w/ Hunter before they moved...clearly my girl knew that something was going down because she showered Hunnee w/ lots of hugs and kisses all day long:)

Hopscotch!

Hanging out w/ Nana!

Indoor playground

Jamba Juice date w/ my girly!

Checking out mama's Barbies:)

Birthday ice cream!

A trip to the beach on the 4th of July!

Nelia's 2nd birthday!

2011-07-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

My sweet Nelia turned two years old on June 25th. I am so incredibly blessed to have such a beautiful, amazing, loving, energetic, spunky, and strong-willed little girl.

On her birthday morning she woke up at her usual time, 6ish, and I was so excited to go into her room and sing Happy Birthday and take her picture. Unfortunately, she had other plans and woke up on the wrong side of the crib:) However, that didn't last long! She was showered with attention the entire day, got to ride the carousel at the mall, have dessert before dinner (!!!) at Baskin Robbins, and eat dinner at Puerto Vallarta. It was a fun celebration day!!!

She opened up a few gifts on her birthday too! We got her this water/sand table that she was super excited about, even without any water or sand in it:)

New oven mitts from her friend Jordan!

On our way to the carousel, sitting in the backseat w/ Auntie Dee Dee

Nelia's BFF Hunter had this same Woody doll (that she loved!), and since he moved away, we figured she needed one of her own...and now it can always remind her of Hunter:)

Her birthday party was the next day, June 26th, at Gymboree. We have been taking classes since she was six months old, she adores Gymbo the Clown, and loves her teacher Miss Lucinda so I thought this would be the perfect fit for her birthday party. It was a complete blast celebrating with about 17 of her little friends!

One of the highlights for me was when she sang 'Happy Birthday' to herself as everyone was singing to her. So sweet!!! We have been to lots of parties in the last few months so she has had plenty of practice:) And then she even blew out her candle all by herself! The party was a complete success! It was a busy day so we headed home and she opened up presents over the next three days:)

She is such a lucky little girl to have so many people who love her!!! Thank you family and friends for celebrating this day with us - love you all!

23 months

2011-06-02T10:22:00.000-07:00

My sweetest girl,

How is it possible that in one month you will be two years old?! It seems like just yesterday you were a teeny tiny baby, but at the same time it feels like I have been your mama forever. When I look at you now, I see a little girl. In fact, when I call you a baby or I ask if you are mama's baby you very quickly say 'no, big girl.'

The other day you grabbed a pack of gum from my purse and unwrapped a piece and gave it to me. Then you said 'one more', which is the cutest thing ever, and unwrapped another piece. Then you said 'one more' and unwrapped another and you did this until you unwrapped the entire package:)

Yesterday we were driving in the car and I sneezed and in the backseat I heard you say 'bless you' - seriously, your heart just amazes me. You are such a sweet girl! We were stopped at a stoplight by our house the other day and they are doing some construction. You were waving and saying 'hi tractor, bye bye tractor.' Your vocabulary grows daily, if not hourly. It is truly amazing to witness! My most favorite thing you say right now though is 'love you mommy' - it makes my heart melt every time:)

Today you saw that I had a band-aid on my finger and said 'mama, owie.' Then you kissed it and said 'all bettter.' Cute!

Your Uncle Brandon moved in this month, which has been an exciting change for all of us. He will be here until the end of September working a seasonal job. You absolutely adore your Uncle 'Bee Bee' and always give him hugs and kisses. You love saying 'hi Bee Bee's car' and 'hi Bee Bee's bike' and you especially love when he plays with you on Thursday mornings while mama takes a break and runs errands.

We have been blessed with family this month! Uncle Jim and Aunt Diane are living in Seattle for the next three months. It has been such a gift having this time with them since normally we only see them once a year. We look forward to packing the next three months with much time spent together:) You already love both of them so much!!!

You spent some time at the ocean this month, which was so much fun!!! You loved exploring in the sand and water and especially loved finding sand dollars. You know how to say crab, sand dollar, sand, and seaweed now:) You went with Opa and daddy last week and had a blast! You made a sand cake and put sticks in as candles and then sang 'Happy Birthday' to Opa except you say 'Happy to you Opa, happy to you Opa...'

We celebrated a very fun Easter with our family and the Swansons (it was so fun having another little one for you to play with!). You did your very first Easter egg hunt with your friend Camdyn, which you seemed to enjoy (well, I think you enjoyed the candy more than anything!).

This month has also been filled with many playdates, and again, we are so very thankful for our friends. They help us fill our days with many fun adventures!

I can only imagine how quickly this month is going to fly by! It makes me a bit teary eyed thinking about my next letter to you - it is going to be your 2nd birthday letter. But it also makes me so excited to see what this year is going to bring! I know it will be amazing, because you are amazing.

I love you, my little Nelly Jane:)

mama

Easter 2011

2011-05-16T10:40:00.000-07:00

What a fun celebration! The easiest way to recap our Easter weekend is through pictures, so here goes!:)

A few days before Easter we went and visited the Easter Bunny with Lindsey and Hunter. I was fully expecting Nelia to completely freak out, but she absolutely loved the bunny. In fact, she loved him so much that she talked about him for days:)

On Saturday we went to the neighborhood Easter egg hunt with our friends Ross, Dorianne, and Camdyn. The girls had a great time, even if they only got a few eggs. Just wait until next year! They will be experts by then:)

On Easter morning Nelia woke up to her basket delivered by the Easter bunny:) She loved everything, but she especially loved Ernie!

We started cooking Easter dinner and I was was lucky enough to have a little helper:)

We got dressed and waited for our guests to arrive...

This year we celebrated with both of our families and our friends Nate, Brysann, and Stella. The girls had so much fun together - they opened Easter baskets, ate a yummy dinner and dessert, and did an Easter egg hunt together.

Hope everyone had a happy Easter!!!

April 25th, 2011 - Happy 22 months!

2011-05-16T10:24:00.000-07:00

Happy 22 months my sweet girl!

This has been a fun and busy month for us! One of the coolest things that has happened this month is that you have started talking in sentences. I think my favorite is when you say 'more please' and 'hi mama.' It just makes my heart smile hearing your sweet little voice:) I am happy to share that you have started saying 'yes' more frequently, which has been a nice and welcome change to 'no', which has been your favorite word for a few months now:)

Your vocabulary is expanding by the day! It's really quite exciting. Being able to communicate with you is so much fun! You mimic almost everything you hear, which means that we have to be extra careful what we say when little ears are listening:)

You have become little Miss Independent:) You have to do everything on your own. Walk up the stairs, walk down the stairs, throw away your diaper, brush your own teeth, put on your own socks and shoes. As a result, everything takes forever! It has definitely been a good test of my patience:)

Right now you insist that your baby doll or Elmo eats dinner with you. In fact, not only do we have to put them in their own little highchair, but we have to give them a little bit of your food to eat. Oh, the things we do for you sweet girl.

This month we went to the Puyallup Spring Fair with Lindsey and Hunter. You absolutely loved the animals, especially the cows and the bunny. It was so cute watching the two of you explore together - even cuter was when you two were walking around holding hands. Makes my heart melt:)

We met some new friends at the park, sweet Camdyn who is just a month older than you and her equally as sweet mama Dorianne. Hard to believe it took almost 2 years to meet them since we are practically neighbors:) It has been so much fun getting to know them and I see many, many more playdates in our future!

We also had the chance to meet a few new babies this month. Grace's new little sister Emma, who you absolutely adore! In fact, all babies we meet now are 'Emma.' We are so excited for the Kincaid family and look forward to watching another little one grow up! We also met baby Xavier, who is Carol's new little brother. He is positively squeezable! Congrats Pena family!!! We also met baby Keira who is Aaron's new little sister - such a little sweetie! This baby is close to my heart since your uncle Brent was like an uncle to Aaron and I know he would have been the same to Keira - so we have big shoes to fill:)

Love you little Nuggie:)

xoxo
Your mama

Pictures from my phone...

2011-05-16T10:21:00.000-07:00

Picking "pretties" at the park

McDonald's lunch date with Sophie, Hunter, and Addison

Glitter art project with Stella

Top Foods shopping playdate:)

A wagon ride with Hunneee!

Eating a watermelon "popsicle"

Enjoying the sun

Jamba Juice with Grace and Emma - this picture just makes me smile:)

Hugs for Sophie:)

Hanging out with Opa and Harli

Mother's Day 2011...

2011-05-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

My heart overflows with so much love, pride, and joy at being your mama...

You have transformed my life in ways that I never knew possible and you teach me so much...love, patience, spontaneity, sadness, laughter, enjoying the small things in life...

You are my sweet girl, you have made me a mama...this is the best job in the world...

Love you to the moon and back baby girl...

Mother's Day 2010

Mother's Day 2011

"A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path." - Agatha Christie

Friends...

2011-04-20T16:01:00.000-07:00

Today I am overcome with emotion as I think about the amazing people in my life...

When my brother died an amazing group of women came together and supported me as I worked through the most difficult time in my life. These women offered their prayers, positive thoughts, hugs, emails, phone calls, texts, cards, and their friendship. They listened to me, they cried with me, they helped me remember the happy times. They delivered meals, they collected money to donate in Brent's name to Nelia's college fund, they bought me a beautiful 'B' necklace and a tree to plant in his honor. They stood by my side at Brent's memorial. These same women were there on the one-year anniversary of Brent's death, sending me cards, texts, phone calls, and emails all day long. I am so incredibly blessed to call these women my friends. They are spread throughout the world, from Italy to Hawaii to New York to Washington. They are a crazy talented group of women, ranging from stay at home mamas to lawyers to dentists to business owners. At the end of the day though, they are just a genuine, caring, amazing group of women that I absolutely adore.

Today I am reminded again at what an amazing group of friends I have - one of our friends lost her baby boy a few days ago, and once again, we are all coming together to support her and her family - the same way that everyone came together for me when I needed it the most. And again, I am amazed by these people in my life. The ability to come together quickly to be there for someone is incredible - it is completely selfless and generous.

I can only hope that everyone has a support system like this in their lives - and to think that my support system even goes beyond this is just so lucky. I am truly blessed! Beyond this I have other friends, some who I have known my entire life and some who I have only known for a few months, who all make my life so much richer! And again, they are spread throughout the world, they are teachers, writers, a personal trainer, bankers, and a social worker. But again, all of that aside, they are just incredible people and amazing friends.

Life gets so busy and every once in awhile I like to just stop for a few minutes and really reflect - and today is just one of those days for me. So friends, thank you for being in my life - I love all of you so much!

2011-04-17T13:35:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks taken with the camera on my phone...enjoy:)

After Nelia threw the mother of all tantrums (yep, good times) in Top Foods a few weeks ago, I decided that I needed to visit Brent for a little bit of perspective. Luckily Miss Nelia pulled through and was cute as can be at the cemetery, filled with lots of smiles and kisses for her uncle:)

She loves putting on my shoes and walking around the house, it's super cute!

Over the last few weeks Nelia has become quite the little snuggle bug, and I LOVE it!!!

My friend Lindsey and I went to an 80s party a few weekends ago celebrating Kim and Casey! So much fun!:) We danced to some great music, had some yummy drinks, and just had a really great time.

Ethan and Nelia driving the car in Top Foods. Oh wait, this was the day of her major tantrum. Again, good times.

Mr. Potato Cat - seriously, Roary is the most patient cat ever. Nelia torments him all day long. I am actually quite amazed that he hasn't tried scratching her or something. He acts all annoyed by her, but I think he secretly loves her (otherwise he could just run away from her, right?)

Nelia loves putting on her makeup with me every morning. On this particular morning she was putting on moisturizer, which was pretty funny. She had globs of lotion all over her cheeks.

Picking "pretties" at the park. "Orange pretties". Everything is orange to her right now. Uncle Brent must be laughing up there:)

This was a fun trip to Petco! She especially loved watching the mice run in the wheels and looking at the fish. She insisted on bringing in her little puppy (which she is holding in her hand) and kept trying to feed it different food in Petco.

See, tormented all day long.

Nelia with her boyfriend "Huneeee" at the Puyallup Fair...so cute!

In the petting zoo, not quite sure what to think.

21 months!!!

2011-03-21T10:11:00.000-07:00

My sweet girl, my Nuggie, my Nelly Jane, my Janie, my Nelly Boo, oh how I love you!!!

Happy 21 months Nelia Jane!:) How is it possible that in three short months you will be two years old???!!!

This is by far the most exhausting age, but hands down, it is also the most fun! You have such a sweet, energetic, and silly personality. You are a stubborn, strong-willed, and spirited little girl, constantly keeping us on our toes. At the end of the day though, this is the best job in the world! Being your mama fills my heart with so much joy and pride.

Over the last few weeks your vocabulary has grown so much! You imitate so much of what you hear, which is a reminder to us that we have to watch what we say around you:) A few weeks ago as we were pulling out of the driveway I ran into the side of the garage with the mirror on our car and I am pretty sure I yelled out the F word - luckily you were too busy saying 'uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh' over and over that I don't think you noticed:)

I love when we drive around our neighborhood you point out all the new spring flowers and say 'pretty', and when you see a bird flying in the air, you point and say 'birdie.' I love how you grab my water bottle and say 'heavy', and how all cats are either 'Roary' or 'Mona' no matter what they look like:)

You have always loved singing, but now you actually like to sing along. Your favorite song right now is 'Happy Birthday.' You especially love singing Happy Birthday to Nise (Denise), Hunnee (Hunter), Harli, and Opa:) You are also quite the little dancer! I am actually a bit jealous of your moves:) You like to twirl, jump in the air, snap your fingers, and wave your arms.

I love that you are becoming such a little girly girl:) You love to wear my necklaces and bracelets. You pretend that you are putting your makeup on in the morning, attempting to put mascara on your eyelashes and lotion all over your face:) After you get dressed you like to look at yourself in the mirror and especially love when I put you in pretty dresses.

You love to put Elmo to bed in his little crib and you even cover him up with a blanket and give him one of your loveys and then you say 'shhh' and put your finger to your lips so that we all know that Elmo is sleeping:) You have always blown kisses, but now you do it with a smooching sound. The other day we were driving and I heard you smooching in the backseat and I looked in the mirror only to find you giving your baby doll smooches all over her head. You are such a sweetie pie!

We still go to Gymboree, which is by far one of your most favorite activites. You know all the songs and dances and you absolutely adore Miss Lucinda and Gymbo the Clown:) Some of your favorite things right now are Jamba Juice playdates with Hunneee, playing in the sandbox at the park by our house, the Tacoma Children's Museum, Sesame Street (well, more specifically there is one episode that you love called Can't Sleep - I think you would watch that show over and over again), playing in my jewelry box, reading books together in the morning, bathtime with daddy, and playing with the iPad.

This is such a busy age - in fact, it has been so busy that I haven't had time to keep up with your monthly letters. But there is just so much that I want to always remember and so many little things that I don't want to ever forget. You are truly the light of my life and I love you more than anything in this world.

xoxo
your mama

St. Patrick's Day painting fun!!!

Jamba Juice date:)

See, check out those moves girl!!! You got it going on!:)

Walking upstairs all by yourself

This is such a fun age!

2011-03-04T09:28:00.000-08:00

The other day I decided to give Nelia peanut butter for the first time and I had heard from someone to put some on her skin first to see if she would have any type of reaction. So, I put some on the top of her hand. No reaction at all, she licked it all off, and loved it. The problem now is that she thinks every time I bring out the peanut butter that it is supposed to go on her hand. So, she sees the jar of peanut butter and holds out her hand to me. Silly girl!:)

Last week we went to the dentist (which by the way, it went pretty well and everything looks great) and we met the hygienist and shook her hand. Then we met the dentist (who was awesome!) and shook his hand. The next day we went to the pediatrician for an appt (poor girl had a rough week of appts!) and shook his hand. The following day Nelia insisted on shaking our hands all day long. She even tried shaking stranger's hands at the grocery store.

Last night I warmed up some milk to give her before bedtime and she grabbed the cup and handed it back to me and said 'hot.' I heated it for what I thought was the normal amount of time I always do, but just to be sure I poured a little bit on my wrist. Well, guess who watched me and soaked that all in?? Instead of drinking her milk she spent the next 20 minutes testing her milk on her wrist.

It is amazing to me how much she just watches us throughout the day. They are truly little sponges, aren't they?! Sometimes I don't even realize that she is copying me. Like, I was standing with my hands on my hips yesterday and I look over at her and she is standing the exact same way, lol!

Such a tiring, busy age, but so much fun!

And now, some pictures from the last week or two!

The Seattle Aquarium with Hunter and Lindsey - sooo much fun!!! We put both kiddos in my car and headed to Seattle. Of course they loved sitting next to eachother (in fact, the entire next day every time we got in the car Nelia would ask for Hunter) and had fun at the aquarium.

This was by far the highlight of the aquarium. Forget the fish, the seals, and the touch tanks. This wooden octopus was where it's at!:)

What's up everybody, what's up?! Just another day at the park.

Happy Valentine's Day! I think she loves her new Elmo:)

Uh-oh...time-out for baby and kitty. These two keep me on my toes all day long. Little troublemakers!

Her Valentine's Day outfit:)

Looks like she loved her new teddy bear from her sweet valentine, Hunter:) Or Huney, as she likes to call him.

Isn't this a glimpse of Nelia as a 5-year old? I love this picture, but it kinda scares me too.

Doing yoga with mommy! Oh, and please ignore the ridiculous amount of toys in the background.

Friday Five!

2011-02-18T09:30:00.000-08:00

1. My girl!!! This morning, after a particularly hard night, she was just so much fun and so adorable! We started the morning off by drinking our coffee (well, imaginary coffee for Nelia) and reading books. We probably read 20 books this morning! Then we had breakfast together and Nelia ate almost everything off her plate. Then it was almost as if she sensed that mama needed a break and she played independently for so long! I just sat there and watched her discover and play with all of her toys. It was such a heartwarming moment for me. I am just so proud to be her mama! She is such a joy! Here is a picture I took of her this morning as she was playing:

2. My Pampered Chef deep covered baker. This is one of the goodies I got from hosting a party a few weeks ago and I LOVE this thing! It can go in the microwave or the oven. I have only made one recipe so far, chicken chili, but I have made it twice and it is easy to make, healthy, and delicious!

3. Before I became a mom I had all of these perceptions of what parenting would be like. I had a list of things I would definitely do. And I had a list of things I would never do. I swore I would not let my child watch TV before she was 2 years old. Well, guess what? Nelia watches TV. I swore that she would never eat sugar. Guess who had a scoop of ice cream last night? Anyways, my point is that you can have all of these perceptions and ideas, but things change once the little one arrives. You learn quickly that you do what you need to do in order to survive (of course within reason). You just never know what type of personality your child will have. And we all know that every child is different. So, what may work for one parent/child, may not work for another. So, non-judgemental people make my list today. I am a good mom, I am raising my child to be a respectful, kind, loving, and giving person. And so what if she eats some sugar or watches TV?? I am pretty certain that she is going to be okay. Thank you to those people in my life who support me and my decisions as a mother.

4. These Under Armour tees for working out. Love these! I have three of them and alternate them regularly at the gym. They are comfortable, breathable, and super cute!

5. Our neighborhood/community. I love that we have several parks close enough to us that we can walk to. I love that we have a grocery store, a Starbucks, and my gym 5 minutes from my house. I love that I have several mommy friends to hang out with and kiddos for Nelia to play with and I don't even have to leave my neighborhood! This is a good place to live.

Friday Five!

2011-02-11T09:28:00.000-08:00

Five things I am loving this week:

1. My new iPad! Love this thing! Totally addicted to Words with Friends. Nelia loves Talking Tom and the Sprout Player.

2. This recipe for coconut chicken fingers from Cooking Light: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=50400000109619
I made this the other night and it was delicious! You must serve it with the sweet chili sauce though - that is what makes it extra yummy! And only 298 calories to boot!

3. Puma Saba flats! I bought these for my friend for Christmas and I couldn't resist buying a pair for myself. Stylish, sporty, and comfy! And so versatile - I can wear them with yoga pants, or even jeans.

4. These two little sweeties:) Nelia loves her friend Hunter (or as she calls him, Hun). The other day I watched Hunter for a few hours so Lindsey could have a break and they were hilarious together. They ran around the house chasing eachother and laughing. Like great big belly laughs. Seriously, music to my heart!:)

5. The BOB stroller - love this thing! Especially now that we have had a few sunny days. Nelia and I have been going for walks (we have even attempted a few short jogs) and she seems to really enjoy it. There was a period of time where she didn't like to be in it, but she seems cool with it now (especially if I have some snacks on board!). Of course we have it in Mesa Orange:) I remember Brent thinking that was the coolest thing.

Mobile uploads...

2011-02-07T09:09:00.000-08:00

I am constantly using my phone throughout the day to take pictures of Nelia and I rarely post them on the blog. So, although they aren't the best quality, they really capture a lot of what we are doing throughout the week. Enjoy!:)

Breakfast with friends:)

Many, many trips to the park! She is really into wearing her sunglasses right now....so cute!

Quite the collection of 'necklaces'...I especially love how her sippy cup is hanging off of one of her necklaces:)

Such a diva!:)

Wearing her new rainjacket

Lunch with the Opsahl girls! Such chaos, but so much fun:)

Modeling some of mama's new Stella and Dot jewelry

Shadows are fun!

Jamba Juice is yummy

Jamba date with Hunter

Wearing her new boots that match mama's Hunter boots:)

Friday Five!

2011-02-04T09:42:00.000-08:00

In an attempt to keep up with my blog, every Friday I am going to list five things that I love! Hope you enjoy:)

1. My Hunter rainboots. I got these for Christmas and I love them! Not only are they functional (hello Seattle rain), but they are fashionable.

2. My trainer. Seriously, he kicks my butt every Monday and Wednesday night, but it feels awesome! The last year has been such a hard, rough journey for me and it feels good to be taking care of myself again. It also helps to have someone who is so motivating, positive, and inspiring to help me along the way. He will never know just how much this has meant to me. Thanks, T!

3. Popchips. They aren't fried or even baked. They are almost like rice cakes. They are super yummy, not too bad for you (120 calories for 19 chips), and they are Nelia-approved. Her favorite flavor is BBQ. Try them out! Yum!

4. OPI nailpolish Lucerne-Tainly Look Marvelous. This is my new favorite color. It is a dark grey, but with just a little bit of sparkle. I have been into wearing greys, purples, and yellows lately and this color always compliments my outfits:) Thanks Denise for my pretty polish, xoxo!

5. Stella and Dot jewelry. Last weekend I hosted a party to support my dear friend Denise as she embarks on a new adventure as a stylist. Not only did I get to spend time with some of my most favorite ladies, but I scored some pretty jewelry. Here are just a few of my new lovelies...I also got a necklace, a pair of earrings, another bracelet, and a few charms. Oh, and I got Nelia the most darling little bracelet in coral (but it looks kinda orange-ish).

Pictures!!

2011-02-03T21:33:00.000-08:00

Do you ever feel so far behind that you don't even know where to begin?? That is how I feel right now. I have so many pictures to share, so many posts that I have written in my head, so many monthly letters written to Nelia that I need to post, but I just can't find the time! Perhaps it is because my sweet little Nelia is a very energetic, busy, and fun 19 month old that keeps me on my toes all day long:) At any rate, here are some new pictures! And because you have waited for so long, I have lots to share:)

Nelia and her BFF Roary. She sure loves her kitty. She chases him around the house all.day.long. He is so patient, it really amazes me. They are definitely two peas in a pod:)

Nelia and Hunter - these two are absolutely adorable together. They make eachother laugh and they play together so well. Nelia calls him 'Hun"...it is so cute!

Sitting in her big girl chair at the table for the first time...doesn't she look so proud?! She also knows how to cheers now and insists we do it at least 3 times every night before we eat dinner:)

Coloring at her table...is she going to be left-handed?? Hmmm....

Helping mama make cookies...that "hat" is actually a basket, but she insisted on wearing it like a chef's hat.

Awww...sweet girl! I just want to eat her up!

Showing me her teeth

Look at her hair blowing...it's like she is on a modeling shoot:)

Feeding Hunter his oranges

See, aren't they so funny together?!

I adore these pictures!!! Nelia isn't a huge hugger, the girl definitely likes her space (which hello, is she really my kid because we all know how I like to be in everyones space with hugs, lol:))...anyways, she will usually hug Hunter and I finally captured it on camera. Such sweeties!

January 20th, 2011

2011-01-21T10:13:00.000-08:00

One year ago today, I had received the phone call that my brother had been in an accident. I remember driving to the hospital during rush hour, completely speechless and scared. The memories of that night have come back so vividly for me. Needless to say, it has been an emotionally draining and exhausting week.

The other night I was so upset and figured that going to the gym would be the best way to deal with my emotions. I got on the elliptical and started my workout, but was just so overcome with emotion. I had to stop and go into the bathroom for about 10 minutes. Looking back, I think I was having a panic attack:( I got back on the elliptical and a few minutes later my trainer came over to talk to me, which kept my mind distracted. I was able to finish my workout, but just didn't feel right for the rest of the night.

I just get such a sick feeling to my stomach thinking of this time last year. At this time we were going through a number of tests to determine whether or not Brent was in fact brain dead. It wasn't until the 22nd that he was officially pronounced dead. I just remember having so much hope that he was going to make it and it makes me so incredibly sad that he isn't here today.

Everyone says that I should celebrate him this week, but it is so hard to not feel the emotions and sadness that we experienced on this week a year ago. My life was forever changed. In some ways I am a stronger person, but in other ways I feel so much weaker than I have ever been in my life. I do want to celebrate him - and I will - but I also know myself and know that these next few days are going to be hard. My little happy world was completely turned upside down a year ago and it has taken a lot of work and time to get to where I am today. I know that I have come a long way, but there is still so much sadness in my heart.

Anyways, I really appreciate all the sweet, thoughtful Facebook messages, emails, and texts - they definitely help more than you know. Hug your loved ones for me this week:) And wear orange on Saturday, if you have any!:)

I am going to leave you with the last picture that was taken of Brent. It was taken on the day of his accident - he was going to the park with his best friend Danny and his little boy Aaron. They said that he was really happy that day, which makes my heart feel happy:)

Resolutions...

2011-01-13T15:03:00.000-08:00

Here are my 2011 resolutions:

My first resolution is to continue taking care of myself physically. I have been going to the gym 5-6 days a week for the last three months and I absolutely LOVE it! After Brent died I stopped taking care of myself. I put all of my energy into grieving and taking care of my family, but never took the time to take care of myself. I guess that is what grief does to you. I finally feel stronger and I feel like I am in a pretty good place. I feel good about working out. I have a few goals, like I want to lose some weight and I would love to be able to run a 12k, but ultimately I just want to make sure that I take this time for me. I need it and I deserve it.

On a sidenote, I have started listening to music while I workout and it was so motivating! A song came on that reminded me of Brent - it was a song that we used at his memorial and a song that he had on his Myspace page. It totally caught me off guard and I got really emotional. But then I got motivated and inspired. It made me feel strong. He was training to be a police officer before he died and was working out a ton. I can imagine that he blasted this particular song while he worked out. So, I worked out for the both of us yesterday.

My second resolution is to send birthday cards to my family and friends for the entire year. I love getting cards in the mail and it is such a nice way to let someone know that you are thinking of them. I am already off to a great start. 13 days into the new year and I have already sent out 2 birthday cards. Go me!!!

What are your resolutions?

Some recent pictures...

2011-01-10T14:33:00.000-08:00

Cooking in her kitchen wearing her new apron from Grandma Teri, which she loves!

A fun playdate with Angie, Cameron, and baby Elijah. Cameron was in my class a few years ago and his mom and I became friends. He is such a great kid and an amazing big brother. I joked with Angie that I would like to adopt him for part of the summer:) Is that still okay Angie?:)

Eli wants to look too!

Nelia loves sitting in the windowsill...it is totally random, but she just loves it!

Heading outside wearing her new orange jacket from Opa - so cute!!! She absolutely loves being outside even if it is freezing cold.

Doesn't this picture remind you of the Christmas Story when the little boy gets his tongue stuck to the pole??:)

Peek a boo!

Wearing her new pink and orange hat from Grandma Teri...Uncle Brent would be so proud to see all of this orange!!!!:)

Christmas 2010

2011-01-10T14:19:00.000-08:00

Experiencing Christmas through Nelia's eyes was the best gift we could have received this year! She really loved the holidays. She helped me bake many yummy goodies (her favorite thing to do is mix), she loved driving around and looking at all the Christmas lights, she became friends with Santa (and not only did she learn how to say 'santa', but she says 'ho ho ho'), and she loved watching the snow fall while sitting inside and looking out the window.

Our Christmas celebration began on Thursday when Uncle Brandon and Aunt Deanna arrived. We spent the afternoon hanging out and ended the day with Nelia running around and dancing in her diaper until way past her bedtime:) Friday morning Deanna and I started our new Christmas Eve tradition and headed out for a mani/pedi - so fun! That evening we went to the annual Lynch Christmas Eve party and we got to see lots of family who we don't get to see often enough!

That night I presented everyone with their very own pair of matching pjs, because I am cool like that:) Patrick made fun of me for days, but I kinda think he liked it:) We put out cookies and milk for Santa, put Nelia to bed, and we got to work getting everything ready for the morning.

Christmas morning Nelia came downstairs and saw her gifts from Santa - her expression was priceless! Such awe and excitement. I loved it!!! She had a new kitchen, easel, and table waiting for her:) We had family over for a yummy breakfast and then opened presents. So fun! Everyone left by noon and it was just the three of us. At this point Nelia was pretty overstimulated and overtired so she was pretty grumpy for the rest of the day. I was feeling pretty sad about Brent not being there (or the rest of my family for that matter) so we ended up having a pretty quiet rest of the day. In fact, I didn't even cook Christmas dinner, even though I had every intention of making a feast for the three of us. We just ended up having cheese and crackers. It wasn't even until Sunday that Patrick and I exchanged Christmas gifts (thanks hubby for my new Hunter rainboots, I love them!).

And that wraps up Christmas 2010!

Being silly before the Christmas Eve party...I just loved her Christmas outfit this year:)

Hyper little girl running around and dancing in her diaper...didn't help that we were all sitting in a circle and she was the center of attention:)

She adores her Uncle Brandon

And loves her Auntie Dee Dee!

Look what Santa brought!

Coming downstairs Christmas morning...don't you just love her expression??!!

Passing out presents:)

She loved her new scarves from Gymboree!

This picture makes me laugh!

Oooh... a duck!!!

From the last few weeks...

2010-12-29T14:30:00.000-08:00

For the last three weeks Nelia was going through a really weird phase that involved an early wake-up in the morning (ranging from 3:45-5:00am) and then not taking any naps. Needless to say, I was a complete zombie! Luckily our sweet girl has finally decided to sleep in a bit more (7:45ish!!!) and is taking a nap (although it is rather short). I finally have some time to update the blog!!! Here are some pictures from the last few weeks (there are ton!):

Playdate with Stella - eating puzzle pieces is fun:)

Kisses for Stella

Hmm...doesn't seem like Stella is too interested...

Guess a hug will have to do:) Such a sweet girl!

Opening Christmas presents - love this one! For a long time Nelia and Stella didn't really interact since Stella is so much younger, but now that she is moving around Nelia is way more interested in her.

Coloring with Hunter

How old are you Nelia??

Checking out the Christmas tree - for the first few days she would say 'ow' and point to the tree because of the prickly needles, but then she was all about it.

Kisses for Roary

Look at those lips - women pay big bucks for lips like those:)

Tunnel time!

Helping mama make gingerbread cookies

Opening Christmas presents from the Opsahls

Addison is such a great helper - Nelia adores Addison!!!

PJ playdate - the best kind of playdate!:) I just love these two together. They are soooo cute!! I can only imagine the fun, and trouble, these two are going to get in as they get older:)

Feeding Sophie a goldfish..see, such great friends!

Wearing her new sweater and shoes from the Opsahls - thanks again, xo!

Sad Nelia, throwing a little tantrum. Yep, we are starting the 'terrible 2s' a bit early around here:)

Getting ready for a walk outside

Her first ponytail:) Oh, and another tantrum.

Opening presents from Opa - she loves the apple on the cover of Snow White

Wearing her new orange jacket from Opa! She also got an adorable denim jacket. So stylish! I am pretty sure she has more jackets than her mama!

Christmas Tree!

2010-12-22T21:36:00.000-08:00

This year we went back to our favorite tree farm to pick out our Christmas tree. Last year Nelia was just six months old. We had to bundle her up and carry her around as we searched for a tree. This year she was walking around and seemed to enjoy looking for the perfect tree. This year Opa joined us too, which made it even more fun! We also took this opportunity to get some pictures for our Christmas card:)

And just for fun, here are a few pictures from last year:

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!

2010-12-11T15:52:00.000-08:00

Nelia and I made these yesterday and they are delicious!!! A few of my friends asked for the recipe so I thought I would post it here. Thanks Lindsey for the yummy recipe:)

1 15oz can pumpkin (although I used a 29oz can and they turned out great!)
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
2 cup sugar
1 cup veg oil
4 c. flour
2 tsp cinammon
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp van extract
2 Tbsp milk
12oz package chocolate chips

Mix pumpkin, soda and eggs. Add all other ingredients but choc chips. Mix well, add chips. Spoon onto cookie sheet, bake at 375 for 12 minutes. Cakelike texture.

Nelia has been really into cooking lately - she especially loves to mix. In fact, she has learned how to say 'mix' so that anytime I am in the kitchen she can help out:)

Not too sure why these are so blurry (perhaps because I used my phone to take the pictures), but here are some pictures of Chef Nelia:)

Making gingerbread

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

The sauce for a pot roast I made in the crockpot last week

Picture update!

2010-12-05T18:47:00.000-08:00

We have been busy doing lots of crafts this month. Nelia is starting to really enjoy coloring, painting, using stickers, and creating things. I bought some Christmas window decals, which have been super fun!!

We also made some cute moose door hangers. I need to take a picture of Nelias because although it doesn't really look like a moose, I love that she created it all by herself!

Lots of fun playdates last week! Lindsey and Hunter came over for an afternoon and the kids had a blast, like always:) I even think Nelia has a little crush on Hunter (check out those kissy lips, lol) We love those two!

Another fun project was decorating this Christmas tree with sticker ornaments. So much fun, but a huge mess:) Totally worth it though!

We had another fun playdate with Amaya, Elijah, and Lucinda. Lucinda is Nelia's Gymboree teacher, who she absolutely adores! It was a blast hanging out with her and her kiddos outside of Gymboree. They are great friends and we look forward to playing with them again. In fact, Nelia is still saying 'My' for Amaya:)

Wearing Amaya's very stylish sunglasses:)

November 25th - Happy 17 months

2010-11-30T08:52:00.000-08:00

Dear Nelia Jane,

Happy 17 months sweet girl!

The most exciting news this month is that you are finally walking! November 5th was an exciting day in our household:) You are practically running now, which has been so much fun! You seem so proud of yourself and I think you love that you can walk - you just took your sweet time:) We are so proud of you little Nuggie!

You are also talking a ton and saying so many new words! Some of your newest words are: clean up (which sounds adorable!), dog, apple, more, please, daddy (instead of dada), milk, Santa, Bubba (our nickname for Roary), color, bird, duck, cow, horse, and help. You imitate everything we say, which is also really fun. You have learned a few new signs too - I love you (which is the cutest thing ever!), help, and all done. In the last few days you have started doing something that daddy and I absolutely love! When we put you in your crib to go to bed, you do the sign for 'I love you' and then you say bye and wave your hand. Adorable!!!! Gone are the days where you used to scream and cry when we left your room:) Another cute thing you do is when we are out shopping and you see little kids (and often they are older than you) you say 'bayybeee' and do the sign for baby and then start waving. It is so cute!

In the last month you have started eating less at mealtimes and have become a bit pickier. Some of your favorites are: black beans w/ cheese, pasta w/tomato sauce, blueberries, apples, and grapes, turkey and chicken (dipped in ketchup or honey mustard), hash browns, cheerios, chicken nuggets, green beans, and peas. You are still drinking about 20oz. of whole milk a day, although we are still having a hard time making the transition from the bottle to the sippy cup. I know that you will do it soon enough, but our goal is by 18 months.

You are just so much fun right now!!! Although this is probably the busiest and most tiring age, it is also the most fun! It seems like you change everyday and/or learn something new everyday. Right now you are really into imaginative play, which is adorable! You love to listen to your dolls/animals heartbeats with your stethoscope, you give your dolls/animals drinks of water, and food:) We bought you a doctor's kit and a little mini kitchen and they are your favorite toys right now. The other day I had a travel size body wash on the floor and you were feeding your baby doll a "bottle" with the body wash:)

Today is also your 2nd Thanksgiving, which has been really bittersweet. We miss Brent so much, but it has been fun watching you really experience a Thanksgiving - the turkey with gravy and pumpkin pie were your favorite. We know that Uncle Brent would want you (and the rest of us) to all celebrate the day. We made some deviled eggs, which were Uncle Brent's favorite (and his specialty). You didn't really like your deviled egg, but we will be sure to keep trying:) We went and visited your Uncle at the cemetary and had a quiet dinner with Nana.

We celebrated your 2nd Halloween this year too - you dressed up as a bumblebee:) We had all of our family here for a Halloween brunch, which was lots of fun. That night we took you trick-or-treating. First stop was to Opa's house and he gave you a huge cupcake, yum! Then we went to about 10 other houses. You did such a great job walking to the door with either mama or daddy and then you would hold out your basket for your treat.

This month Uncle Brandon and Aunt Deanna came to visit - it was so nice to see them!!! We all went to the pumpkin patch/farm, despite the pouring rain, and had a blast! You rode your first pony, which you seemed to like, but you loved walking through the barn and looking at all of the animals the best.

You also really experienced your first snow just last week. Of course it snowed last year, but you were too little to really play in the snow. This year we got you all bundled up, but you weren't a fan. Maybe next year:)

We are still keeping busy with playdates and Gymboree classes. We love all of our friends:) We also discovered the Tacoma Children's Museum, which is super fun! We even purchased a year membership because you really seemed to enjoy it.

Hard to believe you will be one and a half years old next month! We love you so much Nelia Jane.

xoxo,
mama and daddy

Thankful challenge - day 25 and Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-27T18:53:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our family and friends! We are so thankful to have each and every one of you in our lives!

I am thankful for today - we were together as a family, we are all healthy, we had a day full of mostly laughter and smiles (and just a few tears), and we enjoyed a yummy meal.

We started off the day with a trip to Starbucks, we spent lots of time playing at home, we made deviled eggs in Brent's honor, we went and visited him at the cemetary and ate a few deviled eggs while there, and we picked up dinner at Whole Foods. My mother in-law joined us for dinner and although it was just the four of us, we had a fabulous time!

And this concludes the thankful challenge:) The best part is that I still have so many things that I am thankful for that I wasn't able to include in my challenge. Doing this was such a great way to really think about all the things in my life that I am thankful for - some things that I don't even realize and take for granted.

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday! And with that, here are some pictures from our day:)

Playing with Nana

Our pretty little girl:)

Getting the tickles:)

Peek a boo Nana!!!

Boooooo!

Checking out the crystal candle holders

Time to eat!

The food

Nelia loved the turkey with gravy, green beans, pretzel salad, and pumpkin pie

I hope YOU have a Happy Thanksgiving:)

Pretzel salad - soooo yummy!!! Diane's speciality:)

Thankful challenge - day 24

2010-11-24T14:49:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for our families, both immediate and extended. Patrick, Nelia, and I are so lucky to be surrounded by some many people who care about us.

Thankful challenge - day 23

2010-11-24T14:47:00.000-08:00

There isn't one thing in particular that I am thankful for today - I am just thankful for a fun, relaxing snow day!

It began with a snow playdate with Stephanie and Grace. It is so fun having neighborhood friends - it makes playdates super easy! They live just a few minutes away so it was a quick drive in the snow. We got the girls all bundled up and went outside. Grace loved the snow! Nelia, not so much:) She loves looking at it from the window, but I think she is fine with not playing in it. She wouldn't even eat it! Silly girl!

Then we spent the afternoon at home playing, reading books, and relaxing. Nelia napped and I did some online Christmas shopping, which is always fun!

We were invited to dinner by the Opsahls to celebrate Denise's 30th birthday:) We had a yummy dinner and just had a great time hanging out. The girls always have so much fun together and it was fun celebrating such an amazing friend!

Giving Sampson some tea:)

The girls watching Mickey Mouse while the adults eat - that lasted about 5 seconds:)

Eating dinner together like such big girls

Kisses for Sampson

So, overall, just a really great day!

Thankful challenge - day 22

2010-11-22T15:13:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for my wam, cozy house:)

We woke up this morning to snow!

It has been the perfect day to grab our blankets, books and magazines, and camp out on the sofa watching the snow fall and some of Nelia's favorite TV shows. Oh, and the eggnog latte delivered by Patrick was an especially nice way to enjoy the day:)

Thankful challenge - day 21

2010-11-21T14:28:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for traditions. I am thankful that Patrick, Nelia, and I will be able to start our own holiday traditions this year. Unfortunately the holidays will be much different this year, but I look forward to finding ways to make them special for us. Sadly we won't be surrounded by very much family, but we are trying our best to stay positive and to make it a fun experience. I know that my brother wouldn't want it any other way. He wouldn't want us to not celebrate - he absolutely loved Thanksgiving and Christmas. For that reason we will be having deviled eggs on Thanksgiving. They were Brent's favorite. Although they won't be nearly as good because he didn't make them, but we will try our best for him:)

So far we have decided on Christmas Eve to make cookies with Nelia to leave out for Santa. We will have my brother in-law and sister in-law here and will get to share this tradition with them. We are still thinking about other traditions, but this is what we have for now.

What holiday traditions do you have?

Thankful challenge - day 20

2010-11-21T14:24:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for happy memories. Losing my brother has been the hardest thing that I have ever gone through. However, I am so thankful that I have so many memories of him that I will hold close to my heart forever. These are what keep me strong and these are what I look forward to sharing with Nelia and her siblings.

Brent was like an uncle to his best friend Danny's little boy Aaron. I remember Aaron's birthday last year as if it were yesterday. I remember taking Nelia and being so excited to celebrate Aaron with my brother. I am certain that Nelia and Aaron were two of Brent's most favorite people in the world! Anyways, tomorrow we will be celebrating Aaron's 3rd birthday. Here is a letter I included with Aaron's gift and a memory I would like to share with all of you:

Early January of this year, just after Christmas, Brent, Nelia, and I went to Toys R Us. Brent wanted to take Nelia and let her pick out a new toy. We all know how much Brent loved Toys R Us so the trip was for him tooJ We spent at least an hour going through every single aisle. I remember Brent getting so excited about all the toys that Nelia would be able to play with as she got older - and how excited he was to play with all of these toys with her.

After we went through all the girl aisles for Nelia we headed over to the boy aisles, which of course was super fun and exciting for Brent! I remember him pointing out certain toys that Aaron had that he thought were super cool and fun.

Then we came across this police car. We all know how much Brent wanted to be a police officer and he loved all things law enforcement related. So his eyes lit up when he saw this car. In fact, he was so excited that he almost bought it for Nelia, but then he figured she was a bit too young for itJ Then he almost bought it for himself because he thought it was that cool. He eventually decided that he would wait and save it if he had a little boy someday. Or he thought he would wait and buy it for Aaron.

So, of course it was my mission this year to find this police car for Aaron. It is his gift from BrentJ I hope Aaron likes it and finds it as cool as Brent did.

I also remember Brent always buying Lego’s for Aaron and I wanted to continue that tradition for him. So, I hope he doesn’t already have this set.

Happy Birthday Aaron!

Thankful challenge - day 19

2010-11-21T14:13:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for a very lovely group of women who I met when I was planning my wedding. We have formed an amazing community and I feel so incredibly blessed to know these women and to have them in my life.

We have been friends for over 5 years and have shared so many happy moments together, we have laughed, cried, shared stories, sorrows, joys, and sadness. We have had babies, adopted furbabies, started new jobs, lost jobs, gone through divorces, started businesses, offered much fashion advice, answered frantic parenting concerns/questions, lost people close to us, and celebrated successes. Through it all we have been there for eachother.

Ladies, you know who you are:) Thank you so much for being in my life! Love you all!

Thankful challenge - day 18

2010-11-19T09:48:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for my phone - sounds kinda silly, but here is a list of everything I was able to accomplish using my phone today:

1. I was able to take pictures of Nelia throughout the day documenting different things that we were doing. The camera phone is convenient and easy to use if I don't feel like carrying the big camera. Here is a picture of her opening up a box (Christmas presents). Someone was a little excited:)

2. My SIL Deanna and I texted back and forth about manis/pedis on Christmas Eve (which btw, the appointment is booked! Yay! Talk about a fun Christmas Eve tradition.)

3. Denise and I texted back and forth and figured out a location for her birthday dinner next week. Yay!

4. I found a babysitter for Nelia and we were texting back and forth about upcoming dates/times that we would need her. Yay again!

5. I had a lovely text conversation with my friend Yolanda, who I don't get to talk to or see often enough! Her son was in my class a few years ago and Yolanda and I became great friends (and her son was an awesome student!). She is a wonderful person who always makes me smile:) She is such a positive person who truly cares about those in her life. Thanks Yolanda for being so awesome!! You are such a great example of a loving mother, friend, grandmother, etc. I am so lucky to have you in my life. xo

6. I had a great phone conversation (which doesn't happen often these days with Nelia) with my good friend Melissa. Again, another person who I don't talk to or see often enough, but like always, we just pick up right where we left off. Melissa was my first friend I made when we lived in Spokane. She is such an awesome, talented, genuine, caring, creative person and my life is so much better with her in it! Oh, and her family is awesome too - they were like our second family when we were living in Spokane. Thanks for a great talk Melissa and I can't wait to see you this weekend!

In our matching outfits for Bloomsday 2008:)

Aren't we funny getting ready for the race??:) The girl in the middle is Danielle, Melissa's sister, who is also really awesome!

There were several other things that I used my phone for yesterday, but this is the short list:) So, thank you Blackberrry for assisting me in keeping in touch with those I care about:)

Thankful challenge - day 17

2010-11-17T19:26:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for my years as an elementary school teacher. Ever since I was a little girl I had always wanted to be two things: a teacher and a mommy. My years as a teacher were fun, busy, stressful, inspiring, amusing, growing, and challenging. I LOVED being a teacher and met so many wonderful colleagues, students, and parents. I knew when I was pregnant that I would be leaving my position as a first grade teacher. It isn't something I regret because I love being home with Nelia, but I certainly miss many aspects of teaching and I especially miss the students.

I know some of my readers are friends I met through teaching, past students, and parents of students so thank you for being such a important part of my life!

For fun, here are some pictures of my classroom at the beginning of the school year!

Thankful challenge - day 16

2010-11-17T09:45:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for my cozy, comfy boots:) They aren't the most stylish shoes in the world, but they are so comfortable. It's almost like wearing slippers:)

Thankful challenge - day 15

2010-11-15T14:48:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for playdates! Nelia and I are so lucky to have so many friends to spend our time with during the week. Not only is it fun for me to visit with other mamas, but it is great for Nelia to socialize with her little friends:) Thank you to all of our playdate friends for making our weeks so much fun!!!! We love you all!

Sophie and Addison - we see these girls (and their wonderful mama Denise) several times a week. I love that we live just a few minutes away from eachother and we have fun doing anything, whether it is a shopping playdate at Target, a comfy pants (our favorite!) playdate at one our our houses, or a trip to Costco. Our week is always better when it includes these three:)

Grace - we met Grace and her mama Stephanie through our neighborhood mom's group and we are so lucky to have met them! The girls share the same birthday and always seem to have fun together. It will be fun watching these two grow up together.

Hunter - we met Hunter and his lovely mama Lindsey at Gymboree. We quickly became really good friends and we always look forward to seeing these two. Hunter and Nelia love eachother too - in fact, they had their first kiss a few weeks ago:)

Stella - Brysann, Stella's mama, is one of my close friends from my teaching days. Stella is Nelia's youngest friend, but we always look forward to seeing them. We are getting excited for Stella to become more mobile. I am sure soon enough we will be chasing these two around the house:)

Ethan - we don't see Ethan and his mama Martha very often, but they are two of our bestest friends:) They are just about a month apart and like playing together. We look forward to seeing them in a few weeks!

Thank you friends for being such a huge part of our lives:) xoxo

Thankful challenge - day 14

2010-11-14T19:42:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for a relaxing and fun girls weekend with my sister in-law Deanna. We met in Boise, stayed at a fabulous hotel, ate delicious food (including our first ever chocolate souffle), drank some yummy drinks, spent an afternoon at the spa, had good conversation, and just relaxed. So awesome!

I remember growing up and always wanting a sister. Of course I was more than happy to have my brother, but there is just something about sisters, right? I will admit that I have a few girlfriends who I would consider like a sister, but I was thrilled when Deanna became my sister in-law! Even more thrilled that we got along so fabulously!

I love Deanna because she is so genuine, caring, and sweet. She is the type of person that everyone would want as a sister. She has been there for me through many good times, but she has also been by my side during difficult times. My life wouldn't be the same without her! Thank you Deanna for a great weekend!

No camera this weekend (how did we both forget a camera???), but here are some pictures from the past:

Halloween 2010

Wedding Rehearsal 2005

2006ish in Shoup

2007 at Christmas

Thankful challenge - day 13

2010-11-14T19:25:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for 60-minute massages. Somehow I have been lucky enough to have had two massages in one month! Pure bliss!

The massage therapist today was able to figure out what side I normally carry Nelia on based on how tight and knotted up my back, shoulders, and neck were - interesting, huh?! Needless to say, by the time my massage was over I was feeling so much better!

Thankful challenge - day 12

2010-11-14T19:21:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for our two furbabies, Roary and Ramona. Over the years they have provided us with so many smiles, laughter, and snuggles:) Our lives wouldn't be the same without these two furballs:)

Roary joined our family in 2005, just after Patrick and I got married. He loves drinking the milk from our cereal bowls, loves toys that dangle, is an avid user of his scratching post, and loves causing trouble in the middle of the night.

Ramona, who we mostly call Mona, joined us in 2007. She was a foster kitty and within seconds of meeting her, she was curled up in Patrick's lap. Of course we had to bring her home! She is a little girl with a ton of energy, loves snuggling (sometimes a bit too much!), her favorite toy is the laser, and she only eats wet cat food.

These two together are the best of friends. Often we find them curled up together, cleaning eachother, and causing mischief together. But like any siblings, they also have an occasional fight, but luckily they have more love for eachother than anything else.

Their little worlds were completely rocked when Miss Nelia joined our family. Over the year they have grown to love their new sister. Roary is very patient with Nelia and will even let her pet him and give him kisses. Mona on the other hand wants nothing to do with her and will usually run away. No matter what though, they are always close by, keeping an eye on her. Secretly, I think they really love her:)

Thank you kitties for being such an important part of our family:)

Pictures - 16 months!

2010-11-11T09:31:00.000-08:00

Checking out her loot after trick-or-treating, which she loved!

Taking a rest break on her block:)

Look what Opa put in her trick-or-treat basket, yum!!!

Of course she went straight for the frosting:)

Play-doh!

I love it when she sits like this

Homemade ball pit using her swimming pool - so fun!

She loves to share:)

She is currently obsessed with that toy cookie in her hand...she calls it her 'cooooook'

This mess was created in about 5 minutes:)

This was created in about 2 minutes - and the result of me looking away for a few minutes:)

Thankful challenge - day 11

2010-11-11T09:23:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for the Veterans - past, present, and future - who protect our country and our freedom. Your courage and sacrifices are amazing! Thank you!

I haven't personally known many Veterans, but one does come to mind. My brother. He served in the US Army until he was honorably discharged due to a leg injury. Thank you Brent for serving our country. What a great, selfless, loyal man you were!

Thankful challenge - day 10

2010-11-11T09:20:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for my good health. I am thankful that I have the option to go to the doctor. I am thankful for my new dermatologist, who I visited today for the first time. In fact, she was rated one of the top 100 doctors in the Seattle area. Pretty cool, huh?!

Thankful challenge - day 9

2010-11-09T19:14:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for Gymboree. For obvious reasons I am thankful that it provides a fun, stimulating environment for Nelia. It has also been a great way for her to interact with other kids her age and an opportunity for me to meet other moms. In fact we met Lindsey and Hunter in Gymboree class and they have become two of our closest friends!!! So for that reason, I will always be thankful that Gymboree brought us together. Nelia loves Hunter (they just recently had their first kiss) and Lindsey is one of the sweetest, most genuine people I know!

There is another reason why I am so very thankful for Gymboree. My brother and I used to hang out at least two days a week. After he died I knew that I needed to keep myself busy, especially on days that we would normally hang out. Gymboree kept me distracted - it gave me something to look forward to, something to make me smile. Our Gymboree family.

Nelia's teacher, Miss Lucinda, is amazing and talented at what she does. Not only does Nelia love her, but I have had the chance to get to know her and she is a great person!

10 months

Hunter and Nelia - 10 months

12 months!

13 months

Thankful challenge - day 8

2010-11-09T16:03:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for my car:) I feel safe driving it, it is dependable (has never had any issues), and it has heated seats!

My very first car was a 1985 Nissan Sentra that was a complete piece of junk! Once it broke down I bought a 1990 Ford Escort. Then Patrick and I got together and I started driving his Honda Civic. Our first car that we purchased together was a brand new 2005 Toyota Corolla when we were living in Spokane. At some point we decided that we needed a bigger car since we were thinking about having a baby. We went back and forth between two different cars - the Volve XC90 and the BMW X5. It was always a dream of mine to own a BMW - well, my dream came true:) I love my car and I am thankful to have such a reliable, safe ride!

Thankful challenge - day 7

2010-11-07T19:35:00.000-08:00

The highlight of today was definitely getting my first eggnog latte of the season! So today I am thankful for eggnog:) I am feeling pretty exhausted from the weekend so I am going to just keep it simple tonight. Just eggnog. It isn't something that I enjoy very often or in large amounts, but a tall eggnog latte helped make this day a little bit better.

Thankful challenge - day 6

2010-11-06T19:17:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for early morning breakfasts with good friends. 8:15am was pretty early for the three of us, but it was completely worth it. Great conversation and yummy food - can't beat that!

Martha and I have been friends for a really long time. We met our freshman year of college, but didn't become close until our junior year. I was looking for a roommate and a mutual friend suggested Martha. I called her and the rest is history! We had such a fun time living together - in fact, we lived together so well that we decided to move down to California together. While it didn't work out exactly as we had planned, we still had fun being beach bums for a few months:)

We met our future husbands within a few months of eachother, we got married two weeks before Martha and Tim, and Martha had her baby, Ethan, two months before I had Nelia. I love that Martha and I have gone through so many huge life events together. I couldn't think of a better friend to have by my side!

We have gone to Vegas three times, we have seen Dave Matthews at the Gorge four (or is it five?) times together, and we celebrate every New Years Eve together.

Thank you Martha for being such a great friend! I am so thankful to have you in my life!

Ironically I met Megan at Martha's wedding in 2005. We were both bridesmaids and we were sitting at the same table for dinner. Our husbands didn't know anyone at the wedding and they both hate to dance so naturally they hit it off - and I quickly discovered that Megan was a cool girl too! She is just one of those people who is always smiling and has such a positive attitude - I just love that about her!

We have celebrated many occasions together - her bachelorette party, Martha's baby shower, my baby shower, and New Years Eve for the past four years. We have done Dave Matthews together as well as Vegas. So many fun times and memories!!

Megan, I am so thankful that you are my friend!

Nelia Walks!

2010-11-06T10:47:00.000-07:00

Nelia's been standing up and taking a step or two for the last few months, and she finally got the hang of it yesterday! Now she's obsessed with walking all over the place, and we're sure she'll be running in no time soon! Yay Nelia!

Thankful challenge - day 5

2010-11-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

A thankful list just wouldn't be complete without this sweet girl! I am beyond thankful for my beautiful daughter Nelia. She fills my heart with so much love, she makes me smile a million times a day, and she completes my life more than I ever could have imagined. I am so thankful and proud to be her mama:)

Thankful challenge - day 4

2010-11-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

Not a day goes by that I am not thankful for this person. It just goes without saying. However, I would like to dedicate today to someone who is my best friend, my rock, my soulmate. He is caring, funny, dedicated, athletic, talented, loving, giving, and hard working. He is my husband. He is also an amazing father to Nelia. He makes her laugh, he does silly dances just for her, and I can see it in his eyes just how much he adores her. Patrick, we are so thankful for you!

Patrick as a little boy - so cute!!

Deception Pass - 2003ish

2004ish

Our wedding - July 30, 2005

With Nelia, 2009

Thankful challenge - day 3

2010-11-04T09:20:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for my gym membership. I will admit that the gym and I have a definite love/hate relationship, but ultimately having the option to exercise and be healthy is something that I am very thankful for.

Tonight was the first night I have been to the gym in weeks and it felt good. In fact, I am inspired now. I am going to commit to at least 4 days a week at the gym - and I might even hire a personal trainer! It is so easy for me to forget about myself in the process of trying to be an amazing mother, wife, daughter, sister, and friend. It is time to take care of me! Because ultimately, taking care of myself makes me a better person all around.

And for fun, here is an inspiration picture -

Dude, I was skinny and tan!!!

Thankful challenge - day 2

2010-11-02T17:13:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for the red cup:) For all of you coffee lovers out there, you know what I am talking about! The Starbucks red cup came out today, which means that the holidays are here! Peppermint mochas, eggnog lattes, yum!!!

I didn't get the chance to enjoy a red cup today (way too busy!), but this will give me a chance to talk about something else that I am very thankful for. Random acts of kindness. One of my best friends posted on Facebook today that she paid for the person behind her in line at the Starbucks drive-thru. Her post reminded me that 1) I really need to head to Starbucks and get my first red cup of the season and 2) more importantly, what a kind, thoughtful, and generous gesture. What a way to make someone's day!

I am thankful for my friend Denise who is one of the sweetest people I know! This is the girl who saves her last salted caramel for me and drops it off at my front door, who has a gift delivered to Nelia after she broke her wrist, who sends completely unexpected, thoughtful notes in the mail, who listens to me when I am feeling sad or frustrated, and who pays for the person behind her in line at Starbucks. What a great person and friend you are, Denise! I am so lucky to have you in my life! xoxoxoxox!

And for fun, here are a few pictures:

Thankful challenge:)

2010-11-01T18:57:00.000-07:00

Happy November!

This month I am going to post something everyday that I am thankful for:) I encourage you to do the same! Some days it will be something completely frivolous, other days something more serious, and occasionally something completely silly. Either way it will be something that I am thankful to have in my life.

Today I am thankful for my comfy pants:) If you know me well then you know how much I love my comfy pants. I own many, many, many pairs of comfy pants. My favorites are my black yoga pants from Old Navy. I have 4 pairs. I love coming home and changing into my comfy pants right away. They just give me such a sense of comfort:) Does anyone else love their comfy pants as much as I do?:)

Look at how much she has changed!

2010-11-01T15:07:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fun to compare pictures from last year to pictures from this year at the pumpkin patch:)

2009

2010

2009 as a sunflower

2010 as a bumblebee

2009 - one of Uncle Brent's most favorite pictures of Nelia:)

2010

2009

2010

Halloween 2010 - Part 2

2010-11-01T14:52:00.000-07:00

We woke up early on Halloween (like usual, thanks to our super cute alarm clock named Nelia), which worked out perfectly since I had a billion things to do before our guests started to arrive. We hosted a fun Halloween breakfast for our immediate family filled with lots of great conversation, a cute little bumblebee, yummy food, and fun Halloween gifts. Such a fun way to celebrate the day! Everyone left around 11 and we just relaxed and visited with Brandon and Deanna until they had to leave. We had such a great time with them and only wish they lived closer!

The rest of the afternoon was filled with football, relaxing, updating the blog, and reading while Nelia napped. We had an early dinner and then headed to Opa's house for a quick trick-or-treat:) Nelia got a big, yummy Halloween cupcake from Opa - such a lucky girl! She had a blast visiting with his puppy and wandering around his non-baby proofed house:) We got some great pictures, but we were using his camera so I will share those later.

We headed back to our neighborhood and took Nelia to about 10 houses. She had such a great time and did such a wonderful job walking (although very, very, very slowly). She even carried her own basket, although in between houses she would empty it out and give us the candy. Silly girl:)

Look at the attitude! She is rolling her eyes at Uncle Brandon - I don't think it was intentional, but then again, I am not too sure:)

Halloween 2010 - Part 1

2010-11-01T14:30:00.000-07:00

What a great weekend!! It began early Saturday morning when Uncle Brandon and Aunt Deanna arrived from Sun Valley, Idaho. Despite the pouring rain, we all rallied and headed to the pumpkin patch. We specifically saved it until this weekend so they would be able to join us on this fun family tradition. So, rain or shine, we were going! We headed to Maris Farms, which is where we went last year. Nelia was only 4 months old last year so this year was a completely different experience. She absolutely loved walking through the barn and checking out all the farm animals this year. She took her very first pony ride too! She wasn't too sure at the start, but by the end she had a smile on her face:) We trudged through the mud with our wheelbarrow (is this word weird to anyone else? Sorry, I digress) and picked out a huge pumpkin. Originally we were going to pick out 3, but it was just too cold and rainy. We took some pictures, paid for our pumpkin, and headed out.

Brandon had asked someone at the pumpkin patch for a lunch recommendation and she recommended a burger joint called Wallys so we headed there for some yummy burgers, fries, and milkshakes. Nelia has really been into dipping her food lately, but the problem is that she just licks the dip off and then goes back for more. So, she had chicken nuggets with ketchup, but really I think she just had ketchup for lunch:)

After lunch we headed home for naptime, the guys went out exploring near the Green River Gorge (random, huh?), and Deanna and I got to just relax and talk while Nelia napped. So nice!!!

Later that afternoon the guys carved the pumpkin (which by the way, was huge and had hardly any seeds!). Nelia wasn't too sure about the carving process and wanted nothing to do with touching the pumpkin guts:) However, she did oversee the entire process:) And the pumpkin did get a few kisses from her!

After Nelia went to bed, Deanna and I headed out and picked up take-out for dinner and a scary movie for all of us to watch.

Such a great day!!!

October 25th, 2009 - Happy 16 months!!!

2010-10-31T16:04:00.000-07:00

Dear Nelia,

Happy 16 months, sweet girl!

You share your 16 month birthday with what would have been Uncle Brent's 28th birthday. Today is a hard day for mama, but like all days, they are made so much better because of you! You will never know how much you have lifted mama up during such a difficult time in my life. I can guarantee that if Uncle Brent was here we would have had a celebration tonight - and he would have insisted that we celebrate your 16 months too! That is just the kind of uncle he was - he cared about you so much and you were the most important thing in his life. He would have been honored to share his special day with you:) So, tonight we will have some of Uncle Brent's favorite things for dinner - all of which you will be able to try too! It is our goal to teach you everything we know about your Uncle Brent so that he lives forever in all of our hearts, including yours.

This month we took a family vacation to California. We had so much fun introducing you to all of your family and it was just such a special time for all of us. You were always surrounded by kids, which was lots of fun. We spent 3 days at Disneyland, which although it was overwhelming at times, you had a blast! Your favorite rides were It's a Small World, the carousel, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Pinocchio. We look forward to going back when you are a bit older. Unfortunately the trip ended pretty badly - you were bouncing on the hotel bed and bounced yourself off and fractured your wrist. Although it was a teeny tiny fracture, you have to wear a brace for three weeks. It was really scary for mommy and daddy and we are just so grateful that it will heal quickly.

You are becoming really talkative and imitate a lot of what we say, which is super cute! Some of your newest words are apple, Grace (geece), cheese (which you say when I get ready to take a picture,silly girl!), bye bye, bee, hi, car (dar), Addison (Aaaaa), Ozzie (your ostrich puppet), no, and baby (beebee). You are signing 'help' and 'all done' a lot more too, which has been very helpful. You are able to follow simple directions, such as 'put this block in the toy box' or 'put this block on top of this block.' You are such a smart girl!

You are extremely social, which has evolved quite a bit since you were a baby. You used to be pretty shy and it would take a lot to get you to smile. Now we walk into a store and you are waving at everyone - such the social butterfly! We make friends everywhere we go:)

One of your favorite things to do right now is read - you absolutely love books! In fact, you will grab a book and head over to either mommy or daddy, sit on our laps, and give us the book:) Or sometimes we catch you reading all by yourself by the pile of books. It is the cutest thing ever! You also love your little walker - you love pushing that thing all over the house, but especially around and around and around the island in the kitchen:)

We have been going to Gymboree music class instead of your usual Gymboree play class because of your wrist. You seem to enjoy the music class, but not quite as much as the other class. Although last week the teacher brought out a huge basket of hand puppets and you were the happiest girl ever!!! Hand puppets are one of your favorite things right now. Other than that, we have been keeping busy with lots of playdates, which we love!

Lastly, mama went on a girls trip last weekend and it was the longest I had been away from you. Denise and I stayed at the Willows Lodge in Woodinville for two nights. You were home with daddy and you two had an absolute blast! And mama had a super fun and relaxing time with Denise. So, it was a good trip all-around!

We love you more than anything Nuggie! You make our hearts smile with love and pride and joy!

xoxo
mama and dada

Pictures! 15 months!

2010-10-28T09:40:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks. I am noticing that as Nelia gets older and more mobile, I am taking fewer pictures. It is hard to keep up with her!

Taking Brent a souvenior from Disneyland - a picture of Nelia and I at Disney!

Nelia LOVES Addison!!! It's funny because Nelia and Sophie are just about a month apart, but she really likes Addison. I think she likes that she is older and more mobile and entertaining:)

Pajama playdate with Grace! I babysat Grace while her mommy and daddy went to the doctor to find out if they are having a boy or a girl for baby #2 (btw, it's another girl!!! congrats steph and kevin!)

Playdate with Hunter - so much fun!!!

Happy Birthday brother!

2010-10-28T09:25:00.000-07:00

October 25th would have been Brent's 28th birthday. I knew the day would be hard, but thankfully the support from family and friends made the day so much easier! Nelia and I went to Gymboree music class in the morning, which was fun. In the afternoon I took balloons, orange flowers, a candy bar, and cards to the cemetery, which was hard. That evening my dad and I went and had dinner and drinks with some of Brent's closest friends. I wasn't sure if I was going to go, but I am so glad I did. Brent was so lucky to have so many wonderful friends in his life. Happy Birthday to the most amazing brother, son, uncle, brother in-law, and friend in the whole wide world!!!

Not sure how old he was in this picture - my guess is 3?

24th birthday

25th birthday

26th birthday

27th birthday

September 25th, 2010 - Happy 15 months!

2010-10-22T10:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Nuggie,

Happy 15 months sweet girl! When we ask you how old you are, you have started to hold up one finger very enthusiastically:) It is so cute! It is hard to believe that in just a few months you will be 1 1/2 years old.

The other day we were driving home from Gymboree and we were going through all of the words you know - and you know a ton! You still spend most of your time speaking in your own Nelia language, but here are some of your favorite words right now: bye, ball, mama, dada, car (dar), water (wa), nana, opa (pa), duck, kitty (eee), bath (ba). You also make lots of animal sounds: pig, chicken, sheep, goat, cat, horse, cow, and dog. I think your favorite is meow though:) You sure do love your kitties! You know most of your body parts: both eyes, both ears, nose, teeth, mouth, hair, tummy, belly button , and toes. You are such a smart little girl! It is so fun watching you learn:)

You have been working on all 4 of your molars at once, which has been a bit uncomfortable for you, but they are all in now! So, you have a total of 11 teeth. All of those teeth make it much easier to chew your food and you are a great little eater! Your best meal of the day is definitely breakfast. You love your mini pancakes with creme cheese, fruit, and cheerios. Lunch tends to be on the lighter side, but then you eat pretty well at dinner. We have discovered that you love all things tomato - if I put tomato sauce on it, then you will most likely eat it:) You love green beans, olives, black beans, pasta, chicken, turkey, and cheese.

You still aren't walking, but you are definitely getting close. I think you could do it if you really wanted to, but I think you just know that crawling is much quicker. You cruise all over the place and you use your walker to get around the house. You are also able to stand up from a sitting position, but then you just plop back down:) Silly girl! We hope you start walking soon! By Halloween, please??:)

This month we took you to the Puyallup Fair, twice! The first time we went with daddy and Opa and you had tons of fun! Daddy carried you in the backpack most of the time, which gave you a great view of all the animals, which you loved. Then a week later we were planning on going with Lindsey and Hunter, but Hunter got really sick so it was just you and me. I wasn't sure if it would be as much fun, but it was a BLAST!!! I loved every second of it - and I think you loved it just as much! We shared a corndog for lunch and then an elephant ear for dessert - you loved both! It made me laugh when we saw the camel (yes, a camel at the fair) that was chewing something and you started imitating it:) Then we saw a mama and baby cow and the baby was super hyper and running all over the place, which was very entertaining to you! This month has been all about animals - we also joined the Opsahl family at a farm/petting zoo, which was lots of fun. You loved the chickens and watching Addison ride the horse - so much fun! Other than that, our month was filled with lots of playdates with all of our favorite friends, Gymboree class, and enjoying the remainder of the sunny afternoons with trips to the park. We bought you a little car that you absolutely love! We have been using that a lot more for walks, which I think you prefer over the stroller. It is just another glimpse into you becoming more and more independent and less of a baby, but a little girl.

Thank you for being our daughter - we love you so much!

xoxo,
mama and dada

Nelia's wrist update...

2010-10-17T14:48:00.000-07:00

We had an appt at Childrens Hospital the day after we got back from our vacation. We were able to bring back the disc of x-rays that we had done in Palm Springs. The doctor at Childrens (who was awesome!!!) basically showed us the x-ray, explained the injury, and made us feel so much better about things. It is such an awful feeling watching your child in pain and wishing that things could have happened differently. He reassured us that he sees injuries like this all the time. Because she is so young, it will heal really quickly. In fact, he said it should be healed in about 3 weeks. We thought she would need a cast, but he said because it was such a small fracture that a brace would be fine. So, she is wearing a wrist brace wrapped in pink tape:) So, we just finished week 1. She is getting around just fine and doesn't seem to be in any pain. The hardest part is keeping it semi-clean and bathing her without it getting wet. She is such a brave, strong little girl!

Sporting her new brace

She doesn't seem too affected by it:)

California Vacation 2010 - Part 3

2010-10-17T14:41:00.000-07:00

So, we left Disneyland at about 2pm, went back to the condo to get the rental car, and took off. We totally didn't anticipate the traffic we encountered in the afternoon. It was awful! We decided it would be a better plan to stop and have dinner, relax, and head out around 7pm. Bad idea!!! At that point, or somewhere near 7pm, construction started on the freeway to Palm Springs. It went from 4 lanes to 3 lanes to 2 lanes to 1 lane. Needless to say, we had a screaming, tired child in the car and it took forever. We finally got there at 10pm!!! Luckily Nelia had fallen asleep, Patrick was able to check in at the condo and get the pack and play set up, and we tranferred her successfully.

Saturday we woke up early and headed to Uncle Jim and Aunt Diane's house to see them and all of my cousins and their families. We had soooooo much fun!!!! Again, Nelia was surrounded by so many kids - she was completely entertained the entire time! We hung out at the pool, which was a blast, and had lunch. Then we headed back to the house and just hung out and talked while the kids played outside. We had a lovely dinner and finally left around 7pm, just in time to get Nelia home and to bed. We said goodbye, but had plans on seeing everyone the next day.

Sunday morning we were up early, had breakfast, and were just hanging out in our room. Nelia was on the bed with us and she was watching a Baby Einstein DVD. At some point I got up to do some things and Patrick was still with her on the bed. Anyways, she was having a great time bouncing away on the bed to the music. She must have bounced really hard (and the bed was sloped towards the end) because next thing we knew she was bouncing herself off the bed. Both of us tried to get to her, but it was too late:( She fell on to a big pile of blankets and cried for about a minute. We weren't too concerned because she seemed fine. Well, a little bit later she went to crawl and collapsed in pain. Right away we knew something was wrong. Patrick applied pressure to both wrists and it was very obvious that something was wrong with her right wrist. We knew we had to take her to the ER (since it was Sunday). After a long wait, x-rays that were so difficult to get, and another long wait, we were told she fractured her wrist:( Of course I was a mess! They put a splint on and gave us a prescription for Tylenol with codeine. We spent the rest of the day just relaxing and trying to keep our sweet girl happy. We had to cancel our plans with my family, which was a bummer. It was also Patrick's birthday, which I was sad about because I had hoped to do some type of celebration.

The next morning we headed back to Matthew and Amanda's house to drop off a few things we borrowed, grabbed one last Coffee Bean, and headed to the airport. We spent $400 to get Nelia her own seat, which we thought would be much easier with her wrist. However, the flight was awful! She was tired, she kept trying to kick the seat in front of her, she was fussy, and when we opened her sippy cup it squirted everywhere because of all the pressure. It was the longest 2.5 hours ever!!!! My dad picked us up at the airport and we were beyond thrilled to be back home!

So, with the exception of her injury, the trip was great!!! We had such a fabulous time visiting with family and we truly appreciate everyone taking the time out of their busy lives to be with us. It meant so much to us - more than you will ever know!!! Love you guys!!!

Just hanging out and playing

My lovely aunt, my awesome uncle, and my beautiful cousin:)

My cousin who reminds me so much of Brent - and Nelia adored him!!! I wonder if she thought he was Brent. It makes me a little sad, but it also makes me so happy for her to have someone in her life similar to her uncle. Blake was awesome with her!! I wish I had him close by to play with her:)

Such a great family!

Pretty girls!

Her splint:(

Silly mama made the mistake of giving her tomato sauce, lol:) Bad idea!

It is so hard keeping a splint clean on a toddler, especially one that insists on feeding herself!

Me and my sweet girl

California Vacation 2010 - Part 2

2010-10-17T12:26:00.000-07:00

After staying with Matthew and Amanda for two nights we headed to Anaheim on Monday to stay in the condo. My dad is part of this timeshare thing and he gave us a bunch of his points, which we used to stay in the condo. It was awesome!!!! Nelia had her own bedroom and we had a full kitchen so we were able to have a lot of meals there, which is especially nice when you have a 1 year old who gets quite impatient when we are out at restaurants:)

We spent most of Monday just getting situated and finding a grocery store to stock up on some food (oh, and of course a trip to The Coffee Bean). I will say that I was really nervous travelling with Nelia in regards to her sleep, but she did AMAZING!!! My cousin let us borrow their pack and play and she slept wonderfully! She always fell asleep quickly and she took really good naps. The only downfall is that she woke up at 5am almost every single morning, which was brutal. But I can't complain too much - at least she slept, right?!

On Tuesday we headed to Disneyland!!! It was cloudy, but we figured it would burn off. Boy, were we wrong!!! We were there for about two hours (my cousins and their families joined us there as well) and it just started pouring. Of course we didn't bring any of our WA clothes with us since we were going to CA and it isn't supposed to rain in CA, right?:) So, needless to say, we had to leave. If it was just Patrick and I it wouldn't have been a huge deal, but we were worried about Nelia getting too cold and wet. We were bummed out, but we bought 3-day passes so we figured we would just enjoy the next two days. Well, the next day the weather wasn't supposed to be great so we decided to head to Redlands to see David. It was a quick visit, but it was good. I got to see the house I grew up in and of course visit another Coffee Bean:)

Thursday was beautiful so we headed back to Disney (again with my cousins, which was a blast!). Nelia LOVED it!! Her favorite rides were 'It's a Small World' and the carousel. I think she would have been happy doing those two rides over and over and over. She also liked 'Pirates of the Carribean' and the Pinocchio roller coaster. Oh, and she loved the Pooh ride. Our condo was close enough that we were able to go back for naps, which was also very helpful. That night Patrick took Nelia back to the condo for bedtime and I stayed with my cousin Robyn and her girls and we rode a ton of rides!

We went back to Disney on Friday, but only stayed until about 2pm because we had to head towards Palm Springs. Again, another fun day! We bought Nelia a Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse as her souvenior:) Overall, it was really fun! I think we will likely skip Disney next year and take her the following year because I think she will like it even more at that age. On to some pictures:)

At Disneyland:)

Look at her cute little feet in her sandals:)

It's a Small World - she is excited!

I love the awe and wonder in her eyes!

The teacups

The girls in line for Dumbo

Love this one!

The crew:)

Of course Nelia loved the corndog - that thing is as big as her head!

Outside of Disneyland

Trying on her Minnie Ears:)

The girls in their matching Minnie outfits - thanks Matthew and Amanda!

Happy girl on vacation:)

Having a snack

Mmm...the girls loves popsicles!

My old house

See the palm tree? My parents planted that tree when it was a baby. Brent and I used to joke that when it got tall enough we could climb down it to sneak out of the house:) His room was on the top floor right by the top of the tree.

This was the last Coffee Bean that I went to with my brother in Redlands, CA. He was a huge Coffee Bean fan, just like me:) I had brought back a cup from there to fill with flowers for Brent, but I think I left it in the rental car:( I was so bummed out!

Thanks for reading:) Part 3 up next! Palm Springs, the trip to the ER, and coming home.

California Vacation 2010 - Part 1

2010-10-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

The only way to tackle the 200+ pictures we took on our trip to California is by parts. That makes it seem less overwhelming:)

We had a fabulous time on vacation, filled with lots of family and fun (with a few not so fun moments). The plane ride down went pretty well - it definitely helped that my dad was there so Nelia was able to go back and forth between the three of us (we decided to have her on our laps as opposed to getting her a seat). It was definitely a busy, tiring 2.5 hours though! We were very grateful when the plane landed:)

We headed over to Uncle Frank and Aunt Sue's house, which is where my dad would be staying. We had a nice visit and lunch with them and my cousin Robyn and her girls came over too! Of course Nelia loved the girls! After a few hours Patrick, Nelia, and I headed to my cousin Matthew's house to stay with him, his wife Amanda, and their daughter who is just a month older than Nelia. The girls instantly connected and had a great time together!!! And Matt and Amanda were amazing hosts - thanks you two!!! xoxo

On Sunday they hosted a mini-family reunion, which was a blast!!! It has been a long time since most of the family has been together so it was definitely nice to catch up with everyone. It was also the first time that Nelia met most of the family too so that was really special:) It was just a fun day of eating, swimming, talking, and playing together. Throughout our entire vacation Nelia was always surrounded by kids, which was awesome!!!!

A group shot!

My dad and his brothers, Frank and Ben

Dad, Annell, and Ben

The girls playing on the Dora scooters

Happy girl!!!

We didn't even plan the matching tank tops - we got them dressed and they both happened to be wearing the same thing:) Funny, huh?!

My cousin was trying to give Nelia a grape....

But Nelia was a bit too slow!

My cousin Robyn's little girl...

And another one...

And the youngest one:)

Nelia loved this little floaty:)

Just hanging out and talking

Our little fish:)

The day we left for Anaheim we headed over to a place called Child's Play first with Matthew and Amanda, Paula and Steve, and the kiddos. It was basically a building with tons of toys, slides, cars, etc. for the kiddos to play on. Super fun, but I am convinced that Nelia got sick from this ball pit, lol:)

Part 2 coming up next!!! The Anaheim condo, Redlands, and Disneyland!

2010-10-17T10:52:00.000-07:00

Nelia stayed home with my mother in-law and my father in-law so Patrick and I could go hiking yesterday. Since she doesn't see them very often, we knew she would have a blast! They were amazed at how much she has changed and grown since they last saw her a few weeks ago. We were gone from about 8:30-5:45 so it was a long, fun day with Nana and Papa. We came home as she was finishing dinner and she cried when Nana left - I think they had a great day together:) Here are some pictures that my mother in-law took from their day together:

Isn't this a cool shot with the shadow?

Her newest look, the fishy face:)

Swinging with Grandpa

Love these shadow pictures!

Our little beauty:)

Pointing her finger at Mona, who apparently got into Nelia's toybox, lol:)

Thanks Brian and Diane for taking such good care of Nelia and giving us the chance to enjoy a kid-free day:)

Happy 31st Birthday Patrick!!!

2010-10-17T09:08:00.000-07:00

Patrick's birthday was on 10/10, which was the day we were in the ER for Nelia (which is a whole other post!). Needless to say, we didn't get to celebrate his birthday:( Well, until a few days ago!

His celebration started on Friday with a few notes around the house with little surprises. He had to work that day so Nelia and I spent the afternoon wrapping and making presents, going grocery shopping, and decorating the house. He got home around 6pm and was greeted by a decorated dining room with streamers. He opened his cards and gifts, one of which was a picture that Nelia colored all by herself that I framed:) Then we put 31 candles on his Baskin Robbins ice cream cake and sang 'Happy Birthday.' Nelia went to bed and then I started dinner - halibut with an apple and bacon risotto. The risotto took forever to make, but it turned out delicious!!! We normally eat dinner as a family, but it was nice to eat together, just the two of us.

The next morning my mother and father in-law came over to babysit Nelia so Patrick and I could continue his birthday celebration. We headed out early to Mt. Rainier to go on a hike to Summit Lake. The hike was about 5 miles, the sun was shining, and it was just a really nice day. Patrick was able to do some fishing and caught 7 trout in about an hour!!! That definitely made his day:) I was able to read two of my Us Weeklys and take a little nap in the sunshine:) After the hike we had sushi and then headed home.

Isn't it beautiful??!!

My handsome hubby:)

Mmm...Subway for lunch

I love the orange on the trout:)

It felt like we could touch the mountain - it was so close to us!

Taking a nap on a rock:)

Happy Birthday to my amazing husband and to the best daddy in the world. We love you!!!! xoxo

Happy 14 months, August 25th, 2010

2010-09-30T10:30:00.000-07:00

Dear Nuggie,

Happy 14 months sweet girl!

We just got back from a picnic with Brysann and Stellla and I am pretty sure you didn't stop moving the entire time - you are such a busy girl!!!   You are still crawling like crazy and you are fast!! In fact, I think you know that crawling is much quicker and more efficient, therefore you are choosing to hold off on walking. Of course I am getting anxious and excited for you to walk, but I know that you will do it when you are ready. You are cruising and beginning to show a bit more interest in walking so I know you will get there eventually:)

You change so much every week - it is hard to keep track of all the changes! You are able to point to your nose, ears, head, hair, toes, belly, teeth and belly button. You are babbling tons now and probably saying more words than we can even identify. We know that you say dada, mama, kitty, puppy, ball, and Nelia (although you just say 'Ne' or 'Nel'). You know what sound a pig makes and you love the sound so much that every animal currently makes the pig sound:) You sign the words please, more, milk, water, and all done. Using your hands you let us know when you want something or when you want to be picked up. You love pointing out trees, birds, and airplanes when we are outside. When you get especially excited you point using both of your hands:) It is so funny! You love rolling around on the bed and snuggling with us, which we love!

You are a great little eater! Within the last few weeks you have started feeding yourself using a spoon. Of course it usually makes a huge mess, but it is so fun watching you learn. Some of your favorite foods are: pasta with tomato sauce, pancakes, string cheese, green beans, cherries, grapes, Pirates Booty, and hummus. Some new foods we have introduced that you really love are hot dogs, olives, and french fries. You are drinking between 16-24oz of whole milk everyday. We go to the Farmers Market every weekend and stock up on lots of fruits and vegetables. My goal has been to feed you mostly organic and local foods and so far it is going great!  A few weekends ago we went with Denise and Sophie which was so fun. Denise and I joked because we almost forgot you two were with us because you were both so quiet. There are so many people and dogs to watch, which I am sure kept you both entertained. Another weekend we met Auntie Megan - it was so fun seeing her!

We just recently started putting you to bed earlier at night. We have tried 7pm for the last few nights and it has worked out great! You are sleeping in a bit later and waking up between 6:30-7:00. You are still taking two naps a day and you aren't showing any signs that you are ready to transition to one nap, which is fine by me!

We have had such a busy month!! First, Kyle, Amelia, and Olivia stayed with us for a few days. The two of you had so much fun. I loved seeing our entire living room scattered with toys - a sign of lots of fun and play! We had a playdate at the park with Amelia and Olivia, Jess, Charlie, and Marlo, Jodi and Jordan, and Peabody, which was fun even if I was chasing you around the entire time:) I went to Ocean Shores for a weekend with Kili to watch Erin get married so you got to spend an entire weekend with daddy, which went really well. You two had lots of fun together and you got to see your great grandparents Bob and Lois. I sure did miss you though! Then daddy went to Spokane for 5 days on a fishing trip so we had lots of girly time together. We played with the Opsahls, Stephanie and Grace, Jodi and Jordan, Lindsey and Hunter, and Brysann and Stella, Auntie Kili, and the Klems. We are so lucky to have such wonderful friends!!! We still go to Gymboree every Tuesday, which you absolutely love! Not only do you love Gymbo the Clown, but you really love your teacher, Miss Lucinda. We celebrated Hunter's 1st birthday, which was a blast!!! We went to McDonalds and Ben and Jerrys with Hunter and his mommy on his birthday which was super yummy. Apparently you love ice cream now! We tried on your birthday, but you didn't really like it, but you really enjoyed your scoop of cookie dough and a few sips of my chocolate chip mint milkshake.  At Hunter's birthday party you had so much fun playing in the sprinklers and meeting all of Hunter's family. We also celebrated Ashlynn's 1st birthday, which was fun too. We went and visited Uncle Brent a few times too, which is always nice even if it makes mommy a little bit sad. Christine came to visit from CA and she had so much fun meeting you even if her first impression was of you crying all the way home from Seattle:)

We love you soooooooo much!!! To the moon and back!!!!

xoxo,
mommy and daddy

Such the little diva...

2010-09-23T15:10:00.000-07:00

Nelia has recently discovered how to use her face to express herself and she is all about it! She gives these looks and it is hard not to laugh. For example, take a look at the following pictures. Nelia's friend Sophie came over for a playdate:

Look at that dirty look!

This one is actually really cute:) Such cute girls! Oh, and Nelia usually wears pants, but she had just woken up from her nap and we were in the process of getting dressed.

I love this one! It looks like Sophie is talking to Nelia...and you think Nelia is listening until...

Bam!!! Look at that face! I would be scared if I was Sophie, but nope...

She thinks it is pretty funny:)

These two are just hilarious together - full of such great personality! I look forward to watching these BFFs grow up together:) But Nelia might have to work on keeping her dirty looks to a minimum.