Getting Out and About

Saturdays are my favorite day of the week, especially in the summer.  My hubby is home, the girls kind of let us sleep in (at least until 6:00), we lounge around in jammies, and then we find some fun family thing to do.   There is a lot to do here in Bellingham in the summer and I think it's because all of the festivals and things get jammed into the two months that we actually have summer weather.

Last weekend was "Old Settler Days" here in Ferndale and that meant a small town parade.  Growing up in Denver I never experienced this sort of thing.  There was one road trip where we ended up in Wyoming for July 4th and they had a parade.  The thing I remember the most was patriotism and the abundance of candy.   Now I am making those memories with my girls and I love it.  Katie had so much fun waving at everyone and getting to eat some candy (mommy and daddy stashed most of it though).  Carly had fun too and wasn't even phased by the very loud fire trucks that went by.  And the best part about this little excursion...we were only 5 minutes away from home so even though it was nap time we made it home before any Carly meltdowns!

Yesterday was another family fun day and this time Katie and I started off by going to the Dollar Store together to stock up on some road trip things.  Then we headed over to the library to get some books, CD's, and DVD's.  It was nice being able to do this with just Katie was because we weren't rushed or on a Carly nap schedule.   And the preschool teacher in me got excited when I got a great teachable moment.  Katie tore one of the books she was looking at and we have spent a lot of time talking about using gentle hands with our books.  So we took the book to the librarian and apologized for what happened.  Katie knew she had made a mistake and even got the teary eyed, about to cry look on her face.  I think it worked and later I noticed she WAS being very careful when turning the pages of her library books.

After our trip to the library we packed up and went to the Bellingham Kids Festival.  We had never been but it was a totally free event put on by our Parks and Rec department and sounded like a lot of fun.  They had a all sorts of things for kids to do and free stuff to give away.   The girls got to jump in a bouncy house, go through a traveling petting zoo, play on the playground, eat free pizza, and watch a children's band called The Recess Monkey.   They were a group of elementary school teachers from Seattle who travel around performing during summer vacation.  This was Katie's favorite part and while we didn't get any pictures I did get this video.

We are having a great weekend and today I am on a mission to get my To Do list checked so that we can be all prepared for the upcoming road trip. 

Meeting Family

This past week both Jeff and I have been on vacation.  Since we are going on a big road trip to visit family in Montana in two weeks we decided to stay close to home this week.  And speaking of road trips, I am dreading the drive so if anyone has travel tips for toddlers PLEASE PLEASE share them with me.  Katie will do great (I think) but Carly is the one I am very worried about.  Ok, but back to this weeks happenings.  Monday and Tuesday we just stayed home, recovered from the wedding, and did some house cleaning and organizing.  Wednesday was a big day because I got to meet Jeff's biological mom, Maryann, for the first time.  She lives in California with her husband, Ruben and while Jeff met her when he was 19, this was the first time they visited us here in Bellingham.  Jeff's parents met them and the girls also got to meet two of their cousins, Jewell and Zoe.

 

It was a wonderful day of visiting and getting to know each other and of course Jeff bbq'd some delicious ribs for dinner.  Maryann and Ruben, thanks for coming up here...it was great to meet you both!

starting from the left: Katie with Papa, Grandma Sylvia, Jeff and Carly, Maryann with Jewell, Ruben (and little dog, Precious), Zoe

Wedding + Baby + Toddler = Exhausted Mommy and Daddy

Jeff's cousin, Brady got married this past Saturday to his beautiful bride Nichole.  The events were up north across the border in Canada.  Luckily it was very close and we didn't have to travel far because by the end of the night Jeff and I were exhausted.  The ceremony was at a Catholic church and luckily they had a "crying room".  We attempted to sit with everyone else but after a whole two minutes we realized that was not the best choice.  Carly was being very vocal and it was just less stressful to let them wonder around the room and be free to talk.   After the ceremony we had about an hour and half before the reception started so we went back to the hotel where all of the out of town family was staying.  We are discovering that Miss Katie is definitely not shy because she loved meeting and talking to all the people...she is a social butterfly just like her daddy. 

After a little visiting we all loaded up and got ready to go to the party.  Since we were trying to stick with the potty training we brought Katie's little potty along with us.  She refused to go in the big toilet at the church but was all for sitting in the back of the Subaru and using her little potty.  She once again did her business and Jeff dumped the potty contents (luckily it was just pee) in the bushes.  Probably not the best solution, but what else are you supposed to do with it when you are in a parking lot.  I really wish I had gotten a picture because it was just too funny seeing this pretty little girl sitting on her pink potty in the back of the car. 

But I was scrambling all evening keeping my littles out of trouble.  It was exhausting and probably not something I would recommend.  Carly is just at an age where she doesn't want to be confined.  She constantly wants to be walking and exploring which is difficult to do at a golf course wedding reception full of people.   She and I spent a lot of time outside wondering around while Jeff stayed inside with Katie.  And although Carly struggled, we thankfully avoided a major meltdown.

Katie once again surprised me and did great.  She had good manners during dinner and even sat through about 40 minutes of speeches just chatting with her new favorite Aunt Louis.  They talked about all sorts of things including marriage.  Katie said "I will only get married when a boy gives me a ring." That's right Katie girl...and make sure it has a very shiny rock in it!  The other highlight of the evening for Katie was when Aunty Gloria took Katie up to meet the princess (the bride).  She even got a flower from the princesses bouquet which Katie didn't let go of until we got home. 

Overall, it was a beautiful wedding and it was great seeing family, but it was just very hard to really enjoy it having two little ones to take care of.  I wish I had taken more pictures but I forgot my camera and honestly I wouldn't have had time. 

Congratulations again to Brady and Nichole and thank you for including us in your special day...toddlers and all.  :)

First Popsicle

First Tooth...Finally

Carly is 11 months old today and is finally getting her first tooth!  I felt them poking through the gum on Saturday and yesterday she was very vocal about the discomfort they were causing.  Luckily she is not having any trouble sleeping at night and is dealing with the pain in typical Carly fashion; happy and easygoing.  I can't believe she is almost a year old and will be walking any day now. 

 
Babies grow up so fast and this first year goes by way to quickly but I have really tried to slow down and enjoy this time with my baby.  Because she is an early riser, we usually have about an hour in the morning that is just mommy and Carly time.  I love this time together.  She gets to have her voice heard without big sister taking over, she gets my undivided attention, and I get my cuddle time in.  It really is my most favorite part of the day. 

clapping

In other happenings we had a wonderful weekend at home enjoying the brief moments of sunshine.  We checked out the Ski to Sea parade downtown on Saturday.  It was mostly cloudy but the sun came out when we got there.  Because we have not had any sun this spring I didn't even think to put sunscreen on the girls or take hats.   So poor Katie got some sun and Carly had to be shaded by daddy's body.

Katie's favorite part of the parade was the bands....she said she wants to play the drums.

It was a great family fun weekend!

Picnic in the Park

Today we are having a beautiful sunny northwest day and we took advantage of it by having a picnic at the park.  We went to a new park about 20 minutes away from our house but it was well worth it.  City Park in Lynden had a great playground just for toddlers and Katie loved playing with all of the other kids.  After some play time we enjoyed a picnic lunch.  Unfortunately Carly didn't enjoy it as much because she started to have some sort of reaction as soon as we got out of the car.  It was very strange but her nose started running and her eyes were all watery and then she got all blotchy.  I have no idea what happened but she was fine once we got back in the car.   

Still With Bambina

My best friend, Beth sent me a text last night saying "still with bambina?". It made me laugh which was something I desperately needed since yes, I AM still with bambina. She won't come out! I know I am only one day overdue and lots of women go past their due date but I am OVER this being pregnant thing. I know it doesn't do any good to keep complaining though, especially because I don't want to be induced, so I will change my attitude today. She just isn't quite ready to come into this world and in the meantime I can give Katie my undivided attention for a little while longer. Plus, Katie hasn't been feeling 100% the past few days and has a cough so I really don't want to bring a newborn home to a sick toddler.

Luckily she is still mostly happy and being outside always brings out the best in Lil Miss.

Two Due Date Babies

Tomorrow is my due date and I am hoping that it is also Carly's birth day because then I can say that both of my girls were born on their due date! This week I have had numerous time where I thought that labor was starting but then I would lay down and nothing would happen. So Carly seems quite content inside even though we are very ready to meet her.

I had a doctors appointment yesterday and I am still just a little over 1 cm dilated. We talked about the chances of me going past my due date and what the plan would be. He will let me go a week past my due date and after that he wants me to think about being induced. However, I really am hoping it doesn't come to that. Unfortunately, my doctor is going out of town as of Friday so if Carly doesn't come today or tomorrow someone else will be delivering her. Surprisingly, I am ok with that because the doctor isn't there for most of the labor and delivery and I found that having a good nurse is much more important.

So, once again I wait and be patient. I think Katie and I will go to the park or go for a walk around the neighborhood and enjoy this beautiful sunshine that we haven't had for a while.

Family Fun Day

Katie and Jeff just left me for some secretive shopping trip and I have to admit it is an odd feeling being at home all by myself. This doesn't happen very often and I am not really sure what to do with my time. I will start by giving a quick Carly update....no baby yet, but feeling VERY pregnant and ready to pop!

Now on to our family fun Saturday. We went to the Highland Scotish Games here in Ferndale and it was so much fun. It was the first sunny day we have had in about two weeks so it felt great to get outside and enjoy some music, dancing, bagpipes, and good (but bad for you) food. Katie loved watching and talking to all the people, dancing to the music, tasting some of mommy and daddy's yummy food, and just being outside. We were there for about 3 hours and the only time tears were shed was when Katie wanted to walk and we wanted her in the stroller. This is a hard age for taking a toddler into a crowd of people because she wants to be independent but then she will just take off and not care if we are with her. The best part about a big outing like that is she takes a great nap afterward. I have never seen my daughter fall asleep so quickly. We hadn't even made it out of the parking lot and she was out! Then when we got home, I was able to take her out of the car seat and put her in bed without her waking up. That was a first!

Here are some pictures from our wonderful sunny Saturday.

Toby Concert

Jeff and I went to see Toby Keith this past weekend and while we enjoyed the actual concert, all of the venue rules were very frustrating. It started off by me not being able to take my water bottle (which was empty) into the concert. Ok, so I was annoyed at this point but I could get over that. Then we get up into the grass and discover that for some crazy reason they decided to water the lawn before the show so the ground was all wet. Luckily we had a blanket and stadium chairs to sit on. Jeff then goes to get a beer and me a bottle of water and 30 minutes later I get a call from him saying his beer was $8 and he has to drink it in the beer garden and then he has to wait in line again to get his money back for my water because they won't let him leave with it. So crazy! Finally he gets me a $4 bottle of water but they take the lid so you have to pretty much drink it right away or take a chance of watering the grass even more. Eventually he gets back to our seats and we get to relax a little before the show begins

Then the music begins and we realize we are sitting next to some very drunk people as well as some loud, obnoxious children. And us, as parents to be are thinking, our kids will never behave like that! Finally about halfway through the show we couldn't take it anymore and moved up the hill. So, there you go....that was our Toby concert for the year. It wasn't perfect but we made the best out of it and still had a good time. We still love Toby and were thinking throughout the concert that country music is great because there is no other music genre where people young and old can enjoy it together. I am sure Little G will be a country fan since he won't hear much else. Here are a few more pictures from the night.