We continued to take advantage of the beautiful weather by spending a lot of September outdoors. We took a road trip to Mount Rainier where we hiked up towards the glacier. It was a clear day but it was extremely hot and the mosquitoes and flies were biting like crazy (of course they didn’t bite Z!). The kids got to touch the snow in the glacier and were not sure what to think of it. It always amazes me that there are patches of snow when it’s so hot! Another weekend was spent driving several hours away to hike to a beautiful alpine lake. The kids did very well on the hike up and loved playing in the eating the wild blueberries along the way. It was a lot of fun and we were all exhausted by the time we made it back home!
 

Gabe and Zara are doing great. They are really starting to chatter and say odd things like mailman, backpack and Nah-nah (their word for Maggie). We’re continuously working on sharing… some days go better than others! They both learned how to blow kisses and get a big kick out of Skype calls! They are also growing – a lot! They were both above the 98% in height for their age and seem to be growing out of clothes quickly!

Gabe often takes a book, toy, or some other item as a trade when Zara has something he wants. If that doesn’t work brute force is applied. He has learned to milk every “boo boo” to the max and will search his body for a boo-boo when sympathy is needed (or if you ask him about his boo-boo). Long after the scrape on his knee was healed he continued to bring it to our attention and need a kiss/ hug. He’s quite the drama queen! Gabe is our little snuggler. He loves to cuddle and give kisses. For a long time Gabe didn’t seem interested in chatting but it seems now that he’s more of a chatterbox than Zara. Gabe loves to walk to the park and happily holds your hand or if he has on the backpack with a leash, he’ll bring you the leash to hold onto.

Zara, on the other hand is miss independent!!! She refuses to hold your hand, and gets very angry if try to hold her hand or hold onto her backpack leash. In fact, at times she will just lie on the ground and refuse to move if you try to hold on. Zara, no angel herself, has learned that quick feet, squealing like a pig, and if all else fails, sharp teeth ensure brother cannot take what she’s playing with. Zara loves to grab a book and sit on your lap. We joke that Zara acts more like a cat. When she wants love and affection she’ll sit on your lap but do not try and make her sit on your lap if it’s not her idea!

They crack each other up often. They chat back in forth when we put them down for bed, pass food back and forth during meal time (because the black beans on one try look SO different on the other tray!). When one giggles it’s usually not long until the other is giggling. They are the first one by the other’s side if there are tears. The one not in trouble will at times sit down with the other in time out (or brings toys to the one in time out). All biting, tackling, hitting aside, it’s obvious they have a great bond and love each other.

View our September 2011 photos .

Posted in Friends & Family, Gabriel and Zara 75 Comments »

Once again we’re behind in posting pictures so we have a bunch of pictures! Gabe and Zara have changed so much in the past 5 months. I’ll try to hit the highlights but I’m sure I’ll forget something!
 

Month 17
Summer is starting to wrap up in Seattle so we’ve been trying to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible. We’ve taken a few beautiful hikes, played in the wading pools at Green Lake, and spent numerous hours at the park. We also celebrated my birthday starting out with a walk on the beach. Zara loved pouring sand all over her legs, while Gabe loved eating handfuls of sand. We had lunch at one of our favorite restaurants on the water. We finished off the evening with dinner with some friends we met through breastfeeding class and walked to the park. It is always fun to see the 4 kids together and watch them growing up.

View month 17 photos.

Posted in Friends & Family, Gabriel and Zara 106 Comments »

Lukas and Amanda’s wedding

It’s hard to believe that the little boy I used to babysit got married. I watched Lukas and Morris over the summers growing up and I’ll be honest, they drove me nuts. They were constantly fighting, always into something and in general pretty ornery little boys. (I think they prepared me well for my own ornery little boy!) I’m so proud of them and love them very much. Lukas and Amanda’s wedding was beautiful and a lot of fun. It was fun to spend time with my siblings and have a date night with my hubby! Thanks Rita for watching the kiddos!

View photos of Lukas and Amanda’s wedding .

Posted in Friends & Family, Weddings 86 Comments »

Visit to PA 2011
We headed to PA to visit and for my nephew’s wedding. We left very early in the morning in Seattle and arrived very late in Philadelphia. After a long day of flying we had a 3 hour drive ahead of us. The kids were really tired and grumpy for most of the trip so by the time we arrived home we were exhausted. PA was much warmer than we are used to but had a great time playing in the yard, watching trucks drive past, and visiting with family.

While the trip home was awesome, the return trip home was miserable. It all started with toilet paper stuck to me after a bathroom visit. The flight attendant was rude, the kids were tired and grumpy and refused to take a nap. Every time the kids fell asleep they were woken up, which made them even more grumpy. While Zara was flipping out I turned sideways in my seat and my pants got caught on something and tore the entire side out. By the time we reached home we were again exhausted.

View photos of our PA Visit .

Posted in Friends & Family, Gabriel and Zara, Travel 91 Comments »

MONTH 16

My friend Pia, who was an exchange student at my high school came to the US with her children for a visit. This was the first time we had seen each other in 25 years. It was great to see her and reminisce about skateboarding down the middle of the road growing up!

We bought backpacks to carry the kids on hikes. They’re a little heavy but it is great to be able to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather! Our first hike was in the park nearby our house. The path leads you down a very steep hill to a beach. The kids loved playing in the stones and water. The hike back up hill was a long one but we had an amazing time and are very happy with the backpacks!

View photos of Month 16 .

Posted in Friends & Family, Gabriel and Zara 107 Comments »