Feels Like Fall

I know it's only the last weekend of September, but it is officially fall.  Which means my favorite time of year is rolling around, and I'm willing the onset of cold weather by putting up our fall decorations.  This year has been especially fun now that Ella is older and able to help and appreciate the crafts I have planned.

Still too young to carve, Ella got to decorate her pumpkin with felt stickers.  She subsequently hid behind it when I asked her to pose for a picture.  She's a silly one, that girl.

A bit too young to craft, G enjoyed watching from his high chair and having a snack.

This girl loves cats.  She decided the purple cat I bought for decoration was now her new best friend.  Then, she was super excited that she got to do a cat craft to go with her cat friend.

Doing some tidying up outside.

We also put our scarecrows out, and it reminded me of how Ella used to love walking around the neighborhood waving to all the ones displayed by our neighbors.  Can't believe how much has changed in a year and how much she has grown.  And now we have Gavin, who is just as delighted to see those scarecrows.  I'm loving all the new traditions we get to start with our family during the holiday season!

month eight

Eight Months Old!

How time flies, little man!  You're now eight months old and on the verge of crawling.  You are going from sitting to hands and knees and back to sitting.  You are pushing yourself forward, scooting backwards and spinning yourself round and round in your attempts for mobility.  You favorite place to practice is in your crib--when you should be sleeping--though you are still sleeping wonderfully (thank you!).  

You are babbling constantly and have so much to say.  You love those vowel sounds, and we swear you say "Ella" all the time.  You love to just chat away, making hand gestures and just trying to constantly communicate your thoughts with us.  You are generally so very happy, smiling and laughing during your waking hours.  You definitely make it clear when you're excited by kicking your legs and practically bouncing your body around.  I LOVE getting you in the morning and seeing you do happy kicks in your bed when you know you're going to get picked up.  

You've grown more interested in your toys and have started to experiment with cause and effect.  You especially love to go after Ella's things, and sometimes Ella herself.  You can't help but grab at your sister (and basically anything else within arm's reach).  You've also started to find the pugs more endearing and will put up more with their close proximity.  You love playing outdoors, swinging on the hammock and taking walks around the neighborhood.  You really love when we march around with Ella, all while singing at the top of our lungs.

You are now getting really good at self feeding.  Your pincher grasp is improving and your palate is broadening.  You will try almost anything I put in front of you.  You love raspberries and blueberries and any flavor of yogurt.  The only two things you really dislike are peas and avocados.  You're drinking water from a straw (and managing not to completely soak your shirt in the process).

My favorite pastime is holding you in my arms and dancing with you to whatever song is playing.  You squeal with delight and it just warms my heart.  You are such a sweet and loving boy.  We can't believe we get to be your parents and watch you grow and thrive.  Every month you mature so much, all the while maintaining the easy-going and jovial attitude that we adore about you.  We love you so much, Gavin!!

Go Go Seahawks!

Kids were excited to wear their new Seahawks gear that we picked up while in Seattle.  Unfortunately, both of them were fighting colds, and Gavin was feeling especially under the weather.

After almost six years of marriage, I have to say that I've come a long way in terms of my relationship with football season.  Before having kids, it was always a contentious time in our household when September rolled around, because I simply did not understand what all the hoopla was about.  And while I wouldn't willingly watch a football just for fun, I do enjoy rooting on a team; and having learned a lot more about the sport, I can now appreciate the athleticism involved.  The best part of football season is that it signals the beginning of fall (my favorite season of the year), and now that we have two little ones, watching the Seahawks play has become a welcome tradition for our family on Sundays.  It's sweet to see Ella cheer on the team and share in her dad's passion.  And Gavin (always eager to catch a glimpse of the TV) has started to partake in the excitement.

So hello, football season.  I'm glad there is finally room in my marriage for you now.  :)

Resting up before the game.

Ella loves cheering on the team.

"Ella like See-haat-tle." -- E

We just returned from a trip to Seattle to see Adam's family and attend a memorial for his grandfather, who had passed away.  While the circumstances were somber, we were grateful to be able to travel as a family for a reunion of sorts, and also to introduce Gavin to his dad's roots.

After an unnecessarily long travel day (the flight was good, the rental car experience was not), we took advantage of the mild Seattle weather and walked around Fisherman's Wharf.  The kids loved the ferris wheel and the carousel ride.  

E has a strange love of orcas, so we were happy to serendipitously come across this mural on the back of a factory building.

Happy to be able to kick around on the bed. 

The kids did great on the flight and we don't mind traveling with them (even with all the added baggage), but despite always getting a crib in our room, our kids never slept in them.  Bed sharing is not a favorite of mine when you have to fight for room on the mattress and dodge random limbs kicking and punching you in the middle of the night.  

Though we took Ella to Seattle when she was six months old, this was her first ferry ride.  Needless to say, she loved it.

G had nothing to complain about either.

The memorial was held on the Hood Canal, at a family home that Adam's Grandpa Gene had built for his family.  It was emotional, but beautiful.  A perfect way to honor a very good man and the legacy he leaves behind.

Adam's cousin's kids taking advantage of the warm weather.  Idyllic childhoods are a happy side effect to having a house on the water.

E took the water immediately.  She loved learning how to skip rocks.

E has a special little bond with her cousin, Samantha.

It's a sweet moment realizing that these two get to be here. 

I love this man.

E with her Auntie Ashley.

I know it was really special that Mimi got to share this with her grandkids.

Gavin enjoyed every minute being outdoors in the fresh air.

The weekend of the memorial also fell on the first home game for the Seattle Seahawks.  The morning of the game, Adam too E for another ride on the Ferris Wheel, this time with Grandma in tow.  E is smitten by her dad.

We had a delicious lunch at a nearby pizza place.  Definitely recommend it.

While the boys went to the game, we took the kids to the Space Needle.  E loves planes, trains and automobiles, and could have ridden the monorail all day long.

At the Space Needle with cousins.

He was all smiles.

On our last day we returned to the Seattle Center and visited the Children's Museum.  It was the first time the kids have been, and had it not been for lack of naps and tiredness, we could have stayed all day.  

We attempted to grab a quick lunch outside by the fountain, but discovered E had a fever and was coming down with a cold (darn that toddler sitting behind us on the plane who was coughing ALL his germs everywhere!).  So after E napped on me, we headed back to the hotel for chicken soup and lots of sleeping.

Despite the kids getting sick, we had a wonderful time in Seattle.  It was probably the smoothest trip we could have asked for with two young kids.  It was also memorable and sentimental and a good reminder to appreciate and enjoy the family we have.  We are grateful for the time we got to spend with Adam's extended family and look forward to more trips like this one.  Also, the Seahawks won, so it was win-win for everyone. :)

belated birthday

I turned 32 last Monday, and I celebrated with all my favorite people.  It was a quiet birthday (as they are now with kids in the picture), and I prefer it that way.  I just love having the chance to enjoy the people that fill my life up with so much love and light.

We kicked off the festivities with dinner for two at AOC Wine Bar in Beverly Hills.

Then there was tea with my girl friends.

And ice cream cake with my favorite girl.

And waking up to this face.  Best gift a baby boy can give his mom?  The gift of 12 hours of sleep.

preschool?!?!

E with her new backpack and Sebastian the crab (who came along for the ride).

It wasn't supposed to happen until next fall.  But upon touring a preschool, we found out they had an opening left in their lower campus for kids 2-3 years old.  And after seeing Ella light up at all the activities the school had to offer, we decided to enroll her.

So now, I am a parent to a preschooler.  How did we get here so soon?  I'm completely not ready and am pretty emotional about this, despite the fact that it's only twice a week for 2 1/2 hours each day.  But I've never left her in the care of anyone besides our immediate family.  So I'm a wreck about it, but trying to stay upbeat and cheerful so that Ella doesn't pick up on my anxiety.

This post is late in coming because we left for a trip to Seattle the day after her first day.  I decided to stay with her during that day because we would be gone another week before her next class, and I wasn't ready for the tearful separation.  I thought she did pretty well, and started to feel like I could just drop her off next time, until we moved rooms to start other activities and she refused to go without me.  I realized I was going to have to take a different approach, but the idea of her crying for me in the presence of strangers is too hard for me to swallow.  I think I'll have to do a slow ease vs. ripping the bandaid off, but who knows.  I can never say never when it comes to parenting, and a week from now I might be talking about how I walked out the door leaving a bawling child behind.

Parenting sucks sometimes.

But then I think about all the growing she'll do at school, and from being independent from me.  Ella is a timid child and incredibly shy around strangers.  With family and friends she's an outgoing ham.  But she's quiet and an observer--much like I was as a child.  So I sympathize with her.  And I try not to project my insecurities and my childhood struggles onto her.  She is her own person.  She will learn to carve her own way.  She will be okay.

It still doesn't make the prospect of her crying easier for me to digest.  And it hasn't even come to that yet.

While staying with her at school I immediately started to judge the other kids.  I mentally willed her to befriend the "nice" kids, you know, the quieter ones that were like her.  I quickly dismissed the loud little girl who started to climb the bookcase and boss people around.  And the little boy who hissed at other children who came too close to him and stomped around taking things just sent me into mama bear mode.  But I know that while I can fight Ella's battles now, I won't be able to do it later.  It might just be about a plastic cupcake or a tonka truck right now, but eventually the battles with become bigger and more significant.  I know I need to prepare my child for the road ahead and not the road for my child.  For her sake, I need to step back and trust in her.

Again, parenting sucks sometimes.

But tonight at dinner, out of nowhere, E says that she likes preschool.  And I hope she really means it.  Because this is a journey we have committed to.  And this is a journey that will challenge us and change us.  Not to sound melodramatic or anything; it's just that I thought I had another year to come to terms with the fact that my little baby girl really isn't a baby anymore.  Yep, and this is just preschool.  I'm in for quite a ride...