Happy Birthday Papa Lenny!

Chronicle of Random Events

holding hands with boys whirly twirly girly all this growing up beginning a bit too early!

chocolate factory very very tired taste of chocolate all that was required

so much fun together girly girly two big cousin olivia ellie sure loves you

sunshine feeding ducks too much candy marshmallows banana phones so much fun with sandy

First Dentist Visit

No good pics. I tried. I really tried. But today was not a good day for pictures. Ellie's dentist appointment was at 8:30 this morning (so we had to leave by 8) and it was just too early for the both of us. We showed up at the appointment tired, hungry, disheveled at best, and Ellie had no shoes on. I felt less than "mommy-of-the-year" as we walked into the office with all the chipper, white-teethed, cutesy, young dental assistants there to greet us.

In any case, the visit went well. She was scared at first but quickly warmed up to the dentist and let him look at her teeth and paint them with flouride. I was very proud of her. She was mostly excited to get the toothbrush and toy at the end. :)

And some others from our day...

good morning little monkey

making cookies for daddy getting ready for bed

History Museum

Expanding our cultural horizons at a trip to the Washington State History Museum...

Girls Trip 2009

This past weekend, Ellie and I ventured to Cannon Beach with my girlfriends: Claire, Elizabeth (and Riley), and Erin (and Wesley). Our girls' trip tradition started back in college. Every year, we pick a place (somewhat close) and escape for a three day vacation. Typically, this means lots of reading, journaling, walking, chatting, and drinking wine. This year, we had the kiddos in tow (Ellie 2.5 yrs; Riley 14 months, Wesley 8 months) so needless to say, our pastimes changed. We played on the beach, ate ice cream, went for walks, and yes, still found lots of time for chatting the hours away. The last night we were there, Ellie then Riley and then Claire got extremely sick. It was a vomit fest, to put it lightly. I won't go into all the details (WHAT A NIGHTMARE!) but needless to say, it was a VERY long night. None of us slept; we just worked endless shifts of laundry, dishes, comforting, etc. Although it was awful (later Elizabeth and I also got sick), I think one good thing did come from the experience. You see, the purpose of these trips (in addition to rest and relaxation), is to keep us close, to find time if at least only once a year, to remember what we love about each other. I think we met our purpose. What I loved about this trip is that when chaos ensued, everyone was there for each other. I remember when Ellie got sick first. Erin was SO calm and right at my side to help me soothe and clean up Ellie. Elizabeth and Claire did not hesitate to strip the bed and remove any evidence of Ellie's scary episode. And it continued all night. Moment after moment, we all worked on autopilot, helping to soothe, comfort, and care for each other and most importantly, each other's little ones. This is what I love. In our worst moments, we are there for each other...without condition or hesitation.

So girls. Our trip totally sucked. :) But it was one of the best in its own special way. :)

Love ya, Ang

For Jordan, Ashley, Jaret and Brandy

Here guys. I thought I would give another option so you don't have to listen to Sandy play the other one over and over. :)

Rhyme Time

I love these:

christmas memories

I apologize to those of you who do not like anything "Christmas" post-holiday, but I am a bit behind in my postings and would not feel right if I skipped sharing our Christmas memories. This year, Christmas Day was more like a Christmas marathon. We celebrated for three straight days and it was truly one of the best holiday celebrations I can remember. On Christmas Eve, we spent the evening with our friends: Bob, Rosanna, Gabriella, and Dante. Rosanna is Italian and prepared the traditional "7 Fishes" meal (Yes, I know 'fishes' is not a real word). IT WAS AWESOME! We had calamari, salmon, shrimp, you name it. And of course, the highlight was watching our two girls have so much fun together. They exchanged gifts, danced by the Christmas tree, and giggled in anticipation for Santa. The dancing was my favorite part. Ellie has learned to "shake her booty" and she clearly loves to dance as much as her mommy. :)

(OK, the "white girl under bite" is DEFINITELY from her daddy, not me! :) )

On Christmas morning, Dan, Ellie, Jaxie, and me opened our presents from Santa. Ellie was SO excited! This was the first year Ellie understood the Santa concept and it just made everything so magical. We really got to experience Christmas through her eyes. She was most excited about the Pez candy in her stocking, the large Giraffe (she named him Sparkle) and her new baby doll. We are proud to say that she named her doll "HI-O-JINA." Yes, read that aloud. It sounds exactly like you think it does. We have NO idea what to say. :)

We ate a big pancake breakfast (our tradition for Christmas morning), took a nap, and then continued to Nana and Papa McDonald's house. We opened more presents and then enjoyed a fantastic Prime Rib dinner. YUM!

Just when you might think that we were done celebrating...we got in the car and drove to Spokane on Christmas night. We arrived at my parents' house at 2:30am and then celebrated Christmas all over again with them the next day (the 26th). Santa made his annual appearance and of course, he was a hit. All the kids sat of his lap, except Ellie. She watched closely and asked Santa about the reindeer, but that was as far as she would go. And it was an extra special celebration because it was Noah and Nathan's first Christmas. My how my family is growing!

There is a funny story behind this picture. Lisa and I were trying to stall while we all waited for Santa. We had them sing songs and and answer questions. In this picture, Lisa just asked, "Who has been a good boy or girl this year?" Please notice which child is NOT raising his/her hand. :)

I like this picture because my mom actually clothespinned a princess dress to her shirt so she could satisfy Ellie's request for her to "play dress too." Good job Mom!

In this picture, Ellie is taking care of Jaxie. Jaxie looks sad in this picture for good reason. When we arrived in Spokane, Jaxie had lost use of her front right leg. To make a VERY long story short, after a long and traumatic vet visit, we learned that Jaxie has a bone infection. Her joints were really swollen and painful. Fortunately, she is responding well to medication and we hope for her to be back to her old self soon. Good dog, Jaxie!

OK, that is all...finally! Hope you enjoyed the pictures. I have none from New Year's because Ellie and I just went to bed and Dan worked. :) Sounds lame but honestly, after all our travels, family visits, etc....I couldn't think of a better and more uneventful way to ring in the New Year!

Love to all,

Ang