standing up all by herself!!!

Our big girl is standing up all on her own, and she is quite proud of it.

standing up all by herself!!!

Our big girl is standing up all on her own, and she is quite proud of it.

standing up all by herself!!!

Our big girl is standing up all on her own, and she is quite proud of it.

i'm just bored...

i don't really have anything interesting to say. i just thought i'd update you on our oh-so exciting afternoon.

Papa started working on the deck today. Minutes into the project he stumbled upon his worst nightmare. Dry rot.

Day 1 of deckfest 08' was spent fixing our rotting entryway. Major bummer, but nothing this handy man couldn't fix...

Finley and I spent the afternoon with my friend Hillary and her sweet little babe. We attempted to go to the new H&M. hahahaha. I say "attempted" because the store was guarded with security and people were let in one by one. Apparently, we didn't get the memo that it's opening day and thus the store was majorly overcrowded. After spending MANY minutes looking for parking, weaving through an insane crowd looking for the store, and then finding out we would not be perusing darling little baby clothes we redeemed the trip by getting some caffeine. What a waste.

We spent the rest of the day listening to a lot of ruckus going on outside. Finley was intrigued by all the noises and periodically cruised up to the door to check out the happenings.

And despite WWII going on outside, Finley is sleeping like a little angel. Is there anything sweeter than a sleeping baby?

i'm just bored...

i don't really have anything interesting to say. i just thought i'd update you on our oh-so exciting afternoon.

Papa started working on the deck today. Minutes into the project he stumbled upon his worst nightmare. Dry rot.

Day 1 of deckfest 08' was spent fixing our rotting entryway. Major bummer, but nothing this handy man couldn't fix...

Finley and I spent the afternoon with my friend Hillary and her sweet little babe. We attempted to go to the new H&M. hahahaha. I say "attempted" because the store was guarded with security and people were let in one by one. Apparently, we didn't get the memo that it's opening day and thus the store was majorly overcrowded. After spending MANY minutes looking for parking, weaving through an insane crowd looking for the store, and then finding out we would not be perusing darling little baby clothes we redeemed the trip by getting some caffeine. What a waste.

We spent the rest of the day listening to a lot of ruckus going on outside. Finley was intrigued by all the noises and periodically cruised up to the door to check out the happenings.

And despite WWII going on outside, Finley is sleeping like a little angel. Is there anything sweeter than a sleeping baby?

i'm just bored...

i don't really have anything interesting to say. i just thought i'd update you on our oh-so exciting afternoon.

Papa started working on the deck today. Minutes into the project he stumbled upon his worst nightmare. Dry rot.

Day 1 of deckfest 08' was spent fixing our rotting entryway. Major bummer, but nothing this handy man couldn't fix...

Finley and I spent the afternoon with my friend Hillary and her sweet little babe. We attempted to go to the new H&M. hahahaha. I say "attempted" because the store was guarded with security and people were let in one by one. Apparently, we didn't get the memo that it's opening day and thus the store was majorly overcrowded. After spending MANY minutes looking for parking, weaving through an insane crowd looking for the store, and then finding out we would not be perusing darling little baby clothes we redeemed the trip by getting some caffeine. What a waste.

We spent the rest of the day listening to a lot of ruckus going on outside. Finley was intrigued by all the noises and periodically cruised up to the door to check out the happenings.

And despite WWII going on outside, Finley is sleeping like a little angel. Is there anything sweeter than a sleeping baby?

boca burger, anyone?

So, I just had to write about how excited I am to be meeting our neighbors. We've lived in our house for a year and a half and only met two neighbors. And both families took the initiative to come meet us, so that tells you how friendly we are. Until now. The neighborhood bible study that we are a part of has decided that since it's summer we should just throw BBQs each week and invite all the neighbors. At first I thought it sounded like a great idea because a). i like anything involving food and b). it meant that i didn't have to feel guilty about not doing to the weekly reading. But then the leader said "lets plan on bringing food for at least 50 people, maybe more." I did some quick math, thinking how expensive this little venture would be. Then I wondered how selfish it would be if we signed up for chips each week. Luckily, our wealthy friends committed to bringing the meat. Anyway, we had our first BBQ last week and it went great. We met some new people, and i took a real liking to another young couple with a baby. Perhaps, it had a little something to do with the fact that the dad looked like david beckham's twin. Point being, I had a wonderful time. Well.... this week was even better. About twice as many people came, and most of them were families with young kids! We brought a blanket for all the babies to conjure on and the moms sat around talking about usual mom stuff (what percentile is your baby in? when do you want to get pregnant again? when did he/she get teeth? yes, he bit my ta-tas too, yada yada...). I truly enjoyed meeting these people and hearing their stories. It's totally worth the $16 that we spent on brownie mix and chips. So, if you're ever in the neighborhood on a thursday night, pop on in to our backyard.

Here is the one and only picture of the night.

P.S. As i write, my dear husband is attempting to dig up the world's largest rhododendron bush (to make room for our new deck). I'm not sure what sort of craziness is going on out there. All I know is that when I tried to peek out the front door he yelled at me to get back inside. I hear chains. I hear a motor revving. I hear yelling. And now Brian is calling a neighbor for help. These BBQs really are coming in handy.

boca burger, anyone?

So, I just had to write about how excited I am to be meeting our neighbors. We've lived in our house for a year and a half and only met two neighbors. And both families took the initiative to come meet us, so that tells you how friendly we are. Until now. The neighborhood bible study that we are a part of has decided that since it's summer we should just throw BBQs each week and invite all the neighbors. At first I thought it sounded like a great idea because a). i like anything involving food and b). it meant that i didn't have to feel guilty about not doing to the weekly reading. But then the leader said "lets plan on bringing food for at least 50 people, maybe more." I did some quick math, thinking how expensive this little venture would be. Then I wondered how selfish it would be if we signed up for chips each week. Luckily, our wealthy friends committed to bringing the meat. Anyway, we had our first BBQ last week and it went great. We met some new people, and i took a real liking to another young couple with a baby. Perhaps, it had a little something to do with the fact that the dad looked like david beckham's twin. Point being, I had a wonderful time. Well.... this week was even better. About twice as many people came, and most of them were families with young kids! We brought a blanket for all the babies to conjure on and the moms sat around talking about usual mom stuff (what percentile is your baby in? when do you want to get pregnant again? when did he/she get teeth? yes, he bit my ta-tas too, yada yada...). I truly enjoyed meeting these people and hearing their stories. It's totally worth the $16 that we spent on brownie mix and chips. So, if you're ever in the neighborhood on a thursday night, pop on in to our backyard.

Here is the one and only picture of the night.

P.S. As i write, my dear husband is attempting to dig up the world's largest rhododendron bush (to make room for our new deck). I'm not sure what sort of craziness is going on out there. All I know is that when I tried to peek out the front door he yelled at me to get back inside. I hear chains. I hear a motor revving. I hear yelling. And now Brian is calling a neighbor for help. These BBQs really are coming in handy.

boca burger, anyone?

So, I just had to write about how excited I am to be meeting our neighbors. We've lived in our house for a year and a half and only met two neighbors. And both families took the initiative to come meet us, so that tells you how friendly we are. Until now. The neighborhood bible study that we are a part of has decided that since it's summer we should just throw BBQs each week and invite all the neighbors. At first I thought it sounded like a great idea because a). i like anything involving food and b). it meant that i didn't have to feel guilty about not doing to the weekly reading. But then the leader said "lets plan on bringing food for at least 50 people, maybe more." I did some quick math, thinking how expensive this little venture would be. Then I wondered how selfish it would be if we signed up for chips each week. Luckily, our wealthy friends committed to bringing the meat. Anyway, we had our first BBQ last week and it went great. We met some new people, and i took a real liking to another young couple with a baby. Perhaps, it had a little something to do with the fact that the dad looked like david beckham's twin. Point being, I had a wonderful time. Well.... this week was even better. About twice as many people came, and most of them were families with young kids! We brought a blanket for all the babies to conjure on and the moms sat around talking about usual mom stuff (what percentile is your baby in? when do you want to get pregnant again? when did he/she get teeth? yes, he bit my ta-tas too, yada yada...). I truly enjoyed meeting these people and hearing their stories. It's totally worth the $16 that we spent on brownie mix and chips. So, if you're ever in the neighborhood on a thursday night, pop on in to our backyard.

Here is the one and only picture of the night.

P.S. As i write, my dear husband is attempting to dig up the world's largest rhododendron bush (to make room for our new deck). I'm not sure what sort of craziness is going on out there. All I know is that when I tried to peek out the front door he yelled at me to get back inside. I hear chains. I hear a motor revving. I hear yelling. And now Brian is calling a neighbor for help. These BBQs really are coming in handy.

9 month stats

Finley had her nine month check-up today and everything looks great. No shots today-Hooray! Dr. B was very happy with Finley's overall growth and development.

Weight: 20 lbs 6 oz (75th %)
Height: 29 inches (85th %)
Head: 45.7 cm (90th)

The topic of breastfeeding came up and I was shocked to hear her say that now is a good time to start weening. I thought most pediatricians recommended bfing for the first year, which is when I planned on stopping. For some reason it rubbed me the wrong way. Finley is growing up so stinking fast as it is, I don't like feeling rushed. Plus, I quite enjoy not having my period! So, sorry Dr. B, but I'm not gonna take your advice on this one!

Waiting patiently for her appointment.Trying to crawl off the table.

9 month stats

Finley had her nine month check-up today and everything looks great. No shots today-Hooray! Dr. B was very happy with Finley's overall growth and development.

Weight: 20 lbs 6 oz (75th %)
Height: 29 inches (85th %)
Head: 45.7 cm (90th)

The topic of breastfeeding came up and I was shocked to hear her say that now is a good time to start weening. I thought most pediatricians recommended bfing for the first year, which is when I planned on stopping. For some reason it rubbed me the wrong way. Finley is growing up so stinking fast as it is, I don't like feeling rushed. Plus, I quite enjoy not having my period! So, sorry Dr. B, but I'm not gonna take your advice on this one!

Waiting patiently for her appointment.Trying to crawl off the table.

9 month stats

Finley had her nine month check-up today and everything looks great. No shots today-Hooray! Dr. B was very happy with Finley's overall growth and development. Weight: 20 lbs 6 oz (75th %) Height: 29 inches (85th %) Head: 45.7 cm (90th) The topic of breastfeeding came up and I was shocked to hear her say that now is a good time to start weening. I thought most pediatricians recommended bfing for the first year, which is when I planned on stopping. For some reason it rubbed me the wrong way. Finley is growing up so stinking fast as it is, I don't like feeling rushed. Plus, I quite enjoy not having my period! So, sorry Dr. B, but I'm not gonna take your advice on this one!

Waiting patiently for her appointment.Trying to crawl off the table.

i can't believe i forgot to share this story!!!

we all thought this was blog worthy-

we were sitting on the beach relaxing and enjoying the surroundings. We noticed that a new family came and joined us on the beach. We watched the little boy having fun playing in the sand. It turned from cute to annoying in about 0.2 seconds. His mother began shouting his name (Jayden) over and over in the most shrill voice i've ever heard, and proceeded to do so until they left an hour later! Mostly she yelled things out like, "Jayden, WALK!" or "Jayden, stop running!" After hearing "Jayden!!!!" at least a billion times she got creative yelling, "Son!" or my personal favorite, "Boy!". The situation might not have been so noteworthy if Jayden was actually being naughty, but he was just playing in the sand. He never ventured into water above his ankles or did anything that deserved the hollering that the whole beach was privileged to. Seriously, poor Jayden wasn't even allowed to run in the sand. How sad! That is one mama that needs to take a chill pill!

i can't believe i forgot to share this story!!!

we all thought this was blog worthy-

we were sitting on the beach relaxing and enjoying the surroundings. We noticed that a new family came and joined us on the beach. We watched the little boy having fun playing in the sand. It turned from cute to annoying in about 0.2 seconds. His mother began shouting his name (Jayden) over and over in the most shrill voice i've ever heard, and proceeded to do so until they left an hour later! Mostly she yelled things out like, "Jayden, WALK!" or "Jayden, stop running!" After hearing "Jayden!!!!" at least a billion times she got creative yelling, "Son!" or my personal favorite, "Boy!". The situation might not have been so noteworthy if Jayden was actually being naughty, but he was just playing in the sand. He never ventured into water above his ankles or did anything that deserved the hollering that the whole beach was privileged to. Seriously, poor Jayden wasn't even allowed to run in the sand. How sad! That is one mama that needs to take a chill pill!

i can't believe i forgot to share this story!!!

we all thought this was blog worthy- we were sitting on the beach relaxing and enjoying the surroundings. We noticed that a new family came and joined us on the beach. We watched the little boy having fun playing in the sand. It turned from cute to annoying in about 0.2 seconds. His mother began shouting his name (Jayden) over and over in the most shrill voice i've ever heard, and proceeded to do so until they left an hour later! Mostly she yelled things out like, "Jayden, WALK!" or "Jayden, stop running!" After hearing "Jayden!!!!" at least a billion times she got creative yelling, "Son!" or my personal favorite, "Boy!". The situation might not have been so noteworthy if Jayden was actually being naughty, but he was just playing in the sand. He never ventured into water above his ankles or did anything that deserved the hollering that the whole beach was privileged to. Seriously, poor Jayden wasn't even allowed to run in the sand. How sad! That is one mama that needs to take a chill pill!

not quite how i remembered it...

On Sunday we took a day trip up to Birch Bay with Mimi and Grandpa. Some of my earliest memories are from camping trips to BB. Somehow, it looks nothing like what I remembered. I have vivid memories of playing on a grassy knoll with my cousins...in reality, it's just a one foot deep ditch. Anyway, after a scenic ride around town we hit the beach. I wish I captured Brian's face on camera. He's a little bit of a beach snob, having grown up in California and vacationed every year at their house in Huntington beach. He was a little overwhelmed by the lack of sand and abundance of seaweed. But even he couldn't deny that we timed it perfectly-the tide was way way WAY out, so we were able to walk and explore the shoreline. The tide left behind little pools that were as warm as bath water for finley to play in. After she got used to it she crawled all around, and enjoyed playing with the seaweed and tasting the salt water. We had so much fun relaxing, eating a yummy picnic lunch, playing cards, and experiencing the nostalgia of being back.

not quite how i remembered it...

On Sunday we took a day trip up to Birch Bay with Mimi and Grandpa. Some of my earliest memories are from camping trips to BB. Somehow, it looks nothing like what I remembered. I have vivid memories of playing on a grassy knoll with my cousins...in reality, it's just a one foot deep ditch. Anyway, after a scenic ride around town we hit the beach. I wish I captured Brian's face on camera. He's a little bit of a beach snob, having grown up in California and vacationed every year at their house in Huntington beach. He was a little overwhelmed by the lack of sand and abundance of seaweed. But even he couldn't deny that we timed it perfectly-the tide was way way WAY out, so we were able to walk and explore the shoreline. The tide left behind little pools that were as warm as bath water for finley to play in. After she got used to it she crawled all around, and enjoyed playing with the seaweed and tasting the salt water. We had so much fun relaxing, eating a yummy picnic lunch, playing cards, and experiencing the nostalgia of being back.

not quite how i remembered it...

On Sunday we took a day trip up to Birch Bay with Mimi and Grandpa. Some of my earliest memories are from camping trips to BB. Somehow, it looks nothing like what I remembered. I have vivid memories of playing on a grassy knoll with my cousins...in reality, it's just a one foot deep ditch. Anyway, after a scenic ride around town we hit the beach. I wish I captured Brian's face on camera. He's a little bit of a beach snob, having grown up in California and vacationed every year at their house in Huntington beach. He was a little overwhelmed by the lack of sand and abundance of seaweed. But even he couldn't deny that we timed it perfectly-the tide was way way WAY out, so we were able to walk and explore the shoreline. The tide left behind little pools that were as warm as bath water for finley to play in. After she got used to it she crawled all around, and enjoyed playing with the seaweed and tasting the salt water. We had so much fun relaxing, eating a yummy picnic lunch, playing cards, and experiencing the nostalgia of being back.

remember this old thing?

yeah, me neither. it's been ages since we've used the bjorn, but we had to break it out today because finley is going through some major separation anxiety issues. as soon as we got home from our trip she began getting hysterical whenever i left the room. I'll put her down on the floor and get her playing with her favorite toys and as soon as she hears the hardwoods creakin she turns around with a big pouty lip and gigantic tears rolling down her cheek. Normally, i would have an easier time embracing this stage, but like i said-we just got home from a long vacation and unfortunately I'm not one of those super organized people who leaves the house looking pristine. We have mountains upon mountains of dirty laundry hiding downstairs and the floors are so dirty that i won't even walk barefoot around the house. So, when i finally couldn't stand it anymore i busted out the tried and true baby bjorn. it allowed me to get some chores done, but as if i don't hate doing housework enough-lugging around an extra 20-something lbs makes it even worse. besides carrying her with me, the only other magical trick that will buy me some free time is giving her some bits of string cheese. needless to say, we already made the trip to costco for an industrial bag of cheese.

here's the bon bon at costco riding in the cart for the first time. she loved it and squealed the whole ride. Yes, I DID sanitize the cart first! after a difficult day yesterday i went in to peek on her and this is what i found. my heart melted . i love my sweet girl so so so SOOO much, even during this not so enjoyable stage.