Eat Drink & Be Merry

My kiddos and their milestones. . .

2012-01-24T22:33:00.000-08:00

My bigga-boy finally had his 2 month check up today. We were supposed to have it last week but w/ the big storm we had to reschedule. He is doing great and gave the nurse and doc lots of smiles. . .already trying to win over the girls' hearts. :) He is 24 1/4 in. tall (95th%), 12 lbs 10 oz. (65-70th%) and head circumference 15 1/2 in (60th%). His height is primarily his upper body since both Z and I are pretty long wasted w/ short legs--HA and his head is much smaller than his sisters. Abs got Daddy's head and Ty got mine. :) I am anxious to see if Ty resembles me more than Abby as he gets bigger--we'll see! He is so dang cute with all his smiling--I just love it.

Abby got a new big girl bed and has slept in it 3 nights in a row. I am so excited to get the crib all set up in Ty's room so we can finally put his bedding out and have it look like a real nursery. We ordered a rocking chair from the Land of Nod forever ago and it is being delivered tomorrow so the whole room is really going to come together. I can't wait. Ty seemed to like his sister's bed too!Speaking of sis, she experienced her first sledding ride last week as well as her first snow angel. It is so fun to see the excitement in a child's eye about something new. Abby can definitely get excited for things. Zach told her she would be going on an airplane ride soon for our trip to Hawaii and she wanted to put her boots on and get in Mama's truck to go right now. She doesn't know what it means to have to wait for something. :) She is going to have so much fun in Hawaii with her cousins and Gramma and Grampa--we all can't wait. A much needed vacation for sure since I didn't really take maternity leave.

Here is Abigail in her new bed with all of her stuffies. I don't have a comforter because she refuses to cover up with anything so its a bottom sheet only. Once we get the crib out of her room I'll get her toys and books more organized--I CANNOT wait for that. . .I like organization. :) The last few nights Abs has wanted me to sleep with her so its been a struggle getting her to understand that its her bed and mama has her own bed. . .cuz I don't want to get in the habit of always have to lay with her til she falls asleep. Transitions are always difficult for about a week and then it always seems to get better--hope that's true with this too. :)

I know I say this all the time but I can't believe how fast time flies. I can't believe my baby girl is in a big girl bed and that my little guy is 2 months old--Life is definitely crazy but I wouldn't change a thing. . .okay--I lie, I would change one thing. . .I'd be a stay at home mom MINUS the full time work from home part. :)

A snowy 2 month birthday

2012-01-17T08:28:00.000-08:00

To warn you--there are a lot of pictures because I just couldn't limit myself. There were so many cute ones! This pic got deleted and I couldn't put it in the same spot it was originally but I just had to share still.On Sunday our little "buddy" turned 2 months old! I can't even believe that it's been 2 months since he was born. . .time goes so fast and babies are what really help us see that. Ty is getting so chunky. I just want to squeeze his little leggers every time I change him. ..which is pretty much all day long! We go thru so many diapers at the Wyckoff home. Ty's toots are so loud that I always think he has blown out his diaper but so far he is a pretty clean little pooper. . .unlike his sis who blew out her diaper and clothes all. the. time! :) Ty loves to smile and is now talking to us quite often. I love his coos and caas. He is a very easy going little guy most of the time. The only time he seems to get upset is in his carseat at times. I have to really time when we put him in it because if he gets upset in the car, it is very hard to soothe him and it makes for a very joyous car ride--NOT!At first Ty just wanted to be snuggled and held but we have gotten him a little used to the swing--thank goodness! He will sit in that for a while and even sometimes falls asleep in it. His favorite spot is still in mama or daddy's arms though. :) Speaking of sleep, Ty is starting to sleep thru the night--last night he slept from midnight to 9:30am. . .wow!! I was definitely ready for him to wake up so I could feed him, yikes!I think Ty looks like such a little boy, not baby, in this picture. He is so strong and will already stand and push off of us when we are holding him.Abigail is seriously the best big sister we could have asked for. She is so nurturing already! She loves to hold Ty and is always checking on his where abouts. She'll say "Hi Ty, Ty. . .Hi Buddy" I guess she hears me say that quite often. :)Going out to eat has gotten a little easier now that we have the Kindle Fire. It keeps Abby pretty entertained most of the time which is nice since Zach and I like to dine out here and again. Abby also loves to sing and dance--this restaurant had a little band playing and she kept trying to sing her ABC's louder than their music. It was hilarious.Abby also LOVES to cook/bake w/ us. She is very in to cracking eggs so we make an egg every morning and its a MUST that both she and I put our aprons on. She is Grammy's Grandaughter for sure. :)Ahh, our little man again looking ever so old. There are times when I think he looks so much like Zach and other times when I think he is definitely a mix of both of us. His head is longer and skinnier than his sister's but they both got the shorter legs and longer torsos much like both their parent's have. HAAs I mentioned earlier, Ty loves to smile at us. He is just really starting to enjoy his activity mat, as you can see! Last night he smiled and had a full on convo with Daddy for the longest time--it is so cute to watch. I just wish I knew what those two boys were saying to each other. . .their little secrets and special bonding time though. :)

We got Ty snow for his 2 month birthday which was so much fun. It's dumping again right now so it looks like we'll be nestled at home for a few days! Abby had her first go at trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue. She LOVED the snow and stayed out in it much longer than I thought she would. . .maybe because we had such a great snow outfit for her courtesy of Sophia's hand me down closet. :) Thanks Sophes.

Abby's first snowman. . .just a little guy--perfect for Mr. Potato Head's hat!Ty didn't seem quite as excited as his sister about the snow. HA The Wyckoff Family on Snowed-In Sunday. . .what a fun day for us all! Happy 2 Month Birthday Buddy. We have Ty's 2 month check up on Thursday and I can't wait to hear how he's grown.

Wow. . .it's been awhile

2011-12-21T21:28:00.000-08:00

I feel so horrible that I haven't blogged like every day since Ty's arrival. . .I practically did that with Abby. . .BUT with a two year old running around I just don't have as much time as I did when it was just a newborn SLEEPING all day. :)
Our little man is a month old and I'm starting to feel like I finally have a bit of sanity. I'm getting used to a little less sleep than usual and I feel like I am finally figuring out how to juggle two babies and a full time job. . .well, I've figured out how to juggle it while Zach is home---kinda scared for him to leave me alone to fend for myself. AAAAHHHH :)
These pictures are a little backwards so we'll start talking about now and work our way back. Last weekend we visited Alderbrook Resort & Spa to enjoy their Winter Wonderland and Santa. Seriously, anyone living in this area w/ kids--you need to start planning a night out there in December. The place is magical with tons of decorations, lights, an indoor swimming pool--a child's dream!! Us adults had a really fun time too. Ty's first visit with the big man in red. So far so good--we'll see how he does next year. :)
Abby didn't want anything to do with Santa. . .again. I thought she would maybe be okay with him this year since we've talked about him and she says his name whenever she sees pictures of him. . .well, her version of his name which sounds more like "peepee cock." tee hee hee, LOVE when she says it. She also calls anything Christmas related, "Christmas lights" and gets very excited.

Since Dad has been home he has taken Abby swimming once each week. She loves it and gets so excited to go. She couldn't wait to get in the pool w/ Daddy and her cousins. Now whenever we talk about going to the pool she says "Sophes?". . .I so wish we lived closer so Sophes could actually go swimming with her more often. Abigail LOVES her cousins and gets sooo excited to see them. When she walked into their hotel room she just stopped and screamed w/ excitement. It's so fun to watch and I hope they always stay this close.

Our little baby model walking to the pool-could this picture be any cuter?

On Friday when we got the resort I had to meet with a client so Dad was in charge! When I got back to the room they were all just waking up from a nap in our hotel room that was a sauna--Dad had turned the heat up!

Abby took the pillow off the bed and laid on the floor to fall asleep. . .with one boot on.

This is just a random pick of Ty looking so dang adorable. My mom got this sweater along with a Cougar one like it for Abigail but she never wore them. . .we didn't have a jacket for Ty so I tried this on him and it looks great. . .well besides the fact that its purple and gold. :) He is totally smiling already and really studies things when he is awake.

My little babies under the tree. Abigail LOVES her baby brother. I was so worried how she was going to react after his arrival but she has been so good with him. She has her 2 year old moments but they usually have nothing to do with Ty. She kisses him good night every night and is always worried about where he is. She helps burp him after he eats and she always asks "whats that" when he toots. She says "Hi Ty" in her own special voice. . .I think she is trying to say it in a grown up voice. . .it sounds really cute.

I wonder what he is dreaming about--seems to be making him really happy. This is Abs wearing my hat while hunting for the perfect Christmas tree. She had tons of fun walking through all the trees and puddles with her boots.

Daddy and Ty just like to watch and critique the tree decorating.

And the tree all decorated with Miss Abigail in her morning lounge spot.

Another cute shot of our little man. Gosh, I find myself just wanting to stare at him and kiss him all the time. He is just so cute and he's getting so chunky--I love it. I have some beautiful babies, that is for sure. Yes, I have to brag. :)

When we give Ty a bath Abigail is always right there to help and then she gets to bathe her baby too.

Ty right after his first bath--He loves the bath. . .wish he loved his carseat as much!!

So that was a quick recap of our month as a family of four. I will try to post more often!!

On The Day You Were Born. . .

2011-11-27T09:19:00.000-08:00

. . .I had just planned on going in for my last doctor's appointment before your due date. It was at 4:30pm on Nov. 15th. That morning I told your Dad that if he didn't want to get off work early to watch Abby that it was no big deal because the appointment would be quick and she was really good when we went--she always knew she got chips when it was over and she got to play w/ all the Sesame Street stuffed animals in the gift shop. Abby was saying "doctor" the whole way there and was super excited. . .so was I--I was hoping the doctor would tell me that I had progressed a bunch and you would be making your arrival very soon. . .instead she told me your heart rate was lower than she liked. . .low 100's. The lowest you had ever been was in the 130's and they really don't like babies to go lower than the 120's. Dr. Stemmerman seemed calm but did want me to get hooked up to monitors to see if your heart rate would bounce back up or not. This meant my quick appointment w/ an impatient 2 year old was going to be longer than planned. We got Abby a doctor kit to play w/ and some chips in a cup (she likes them in the bag so that didn't last long--she dumped them in the garbage). I had to sit in a recliner and get the monitor's hooked up. . .all this while Dr. Abby was also checking me. She likes to put things on my tummy to act like she is also listening for a heart rate. She was starting to lose her patience and I felt horrible that I decided to bring her because the nurses were trying to entertain her. . .I called Zach and told him what was going on and to please come play w/ Abby as I didn't know how long I was going to be there. I was hoping that by the time he got there things would have improved and we would just be able to go to dinner together. . .not so fast! Your heart rate didn't go back up and Dr. Stemmerman wanted to deliver you right then--she just didn't want to risk it so she grabbed my stuff and I grabbed your sister and we walked over to triage (however you spell that!). Once I got there about 5 nurses took over and hooked me up to monitors, IV's and asked me questions all while a nurse student kept Abby entertained in the chair next to me. I wasn't that scared because I felt you move A TON during the day but I was very concerned about Abs--what the heck was I going to do with her and when was Daddy going to get there??? I had to call him and tell him we had moved and I was going into an emergency c-section. Thankfully he was in the parking lot so was only minutes away but wait--I was going to want him in the surgery w/ me so what are we going to do w/ Abby. . .I quickly called Carol, our neighbor, who knew she was on call for if I went in to labor. I had to tell her to please come to Evergreen Hospital ASAP blah, blah, blah and thankfully she was able to. I then called my mom and told her what was going on as they were taking my clothes off and getting me prepped for surgery. Unfortunately, I couldn't talk to her long so she had to have been very worried for me and for you as she drove up to see us. As they wheeled me away in my bed I could hear your sister screaming and crying and I was horrified. . .I just wanted to cry. To top it all off I wasn't sure Zach was going to be able to be in the operating room w/ me when I got my spinal or heck, the entire c-section and I knew I needed him there to hold my hand and be my support--I did not want to do it alone. Thankfully he showed up just in time. . .but said he had to leave Abby w/ the nurses and she was not happy. It's all I could think about--when was Carol going to get there, how was she going to know where to go etc. Finally one of the nurses told me she had arrived and sis was w/ her. . .that definitely gave me a little sense of ease.

The c-section got started very quickly as they did not want to waste any time--they wanted to get you out and make sure you were okay! They said they had to start even before the spinal had fully kicked in--this scared me to death but I knew they had to do it. Now, for the last 3 weeks you had been at a plus 1 with your head position meaning you were kinda trying to make your way out already so you were really wedged in there. . .it took a lot of pushing on my tum to get you out. It was so uncomfortable and did not feel good at all. Mama was definitely groaning--it felt like someone was sitting on me!! Daddy watched the whole thing but I only looked when they finally pulled you out and you were beautiful. Once I heard you cry I broke down--all the craziness of the day finally hit me and the tears just flowed. Thankfully doctor said your heart rate had gone up to 185 as soon as you were pulled out and they just don't know why it had dropped because you were perfect--you didn't even have to go to the NICU. Better to be safe than sorry so I am glad Dr. Stemmerman decided to do what she did--I wouldn't want anything to have happened to you!!! And, you truly are just perfect--just like your sister!!

It was so nice being able to have you in the room w/ me while they finished up surgery. Abby had to be taken to the NICU w/ daddy right after she was born so I was very thankful to have you both w/ me the entire time. We soon got to head to our room where Carol and Abby were waiting for us!! It was so good to see that Abs was okay although I couldn't do much since I was numb from the waste down. About 5 minutes after we got to our room my mom, Risa and Don showed up--they were already half way here visiting one of Risa's friends so they got here real quick. Abby was so thrilled to see them. . .and so was I! Grandpa showed up shortly after as well so they all took your sister to eat and go home for the night. She had to be starving. . .especially since she never got her chips. :) hee hee

Ty Alexander--you were born via c-section on Nov. 15th at 6:21pm weighing 7lbs 13oz and measuring 20 3/4in long. You are my perfect baby boy who just wanted to enter this world w/ a little excitement. . .I'm sure this is just the first of many more exciting moments!

Your sister is so great with you and calls you Baby Ty. She loves holding you and kissing your forehead. You guys are going to be the best of buds--always taking care of each other, I just know it.

Your proud Daddy! He is so excited to have a little girl and now a little boy too. . .and he didn't have to miss any football games--heehee. :)

After a few days in the hospital it was time to head home to reality. Mommy was kinda scared of this as the hospital was so calm and relaxing--what was it going to be like when we got home???

Well, it was/is a bit more chaotic than the hospital but its our life so we are adjusting. Mama has been a bit emotional this past week just dealing with all the changes. . .your sister is soooo good with you which makes me so happy but she is 2 and has definitely been acting like a 2 year old at times so that can be overwhelming and exhausting. Grandma stayed with us for a few days to help and now Daddy has lots of time off to take care of his family--thankfully! I'm trying to take it easy as much as possible so I heal properly but with a screaming 2 year old, it can be difficult at times. . .hence why I was hoping to have a VBAC. . .but that wasn't in God's plan so we just do the best we can and keep on, keep on truckin. :)

My little family of 4 right after we got home from the hospital. I am so blessed we are all healthy. . .life is good!

So Baby Ty, that is your story. . .I love you little guy!

Our 2 Year Old!

2011-11-10T20:25:00.001-08:00

Our little baby girl turned 2 on Sunday!! I can't even believe it. We had a really nice birthday just the three (almost 4) of us. We went out to breakfast where Abby got to play w/ some other kids and toys, we walked around Target, had birthday cake and presents when she woke up from her nap and ended the day w/ a yummy dinner and play time at Redmond Town Center. Even though it was just our little fam, I still decorated like it was a big ol party and of course since Abs is infatuated w/ Elmo her party decor was Elmo! She loved it!!! She kept saying "Happy Day!" instead of "Happy Birthday" although by the next day she could say it all. It was soooo cute!I made the cake which isn't anything special--NO Amy cake, but it was perfect for her and I. We even got to eat right off the cake plate since no one else was here. :) Abigail loved the frosting and kept saying "cake", "cake". She was spoiled and got to have a little for breakfast the next day too. :) I mean, who doesn't want to have birthday cake for breakfast--I love it! :)

So, since Abs has turned 2 she has become quite the little hot shot. . .and sometimes terror. . .she definitely has her tantrums and has had to be put in time out a few times lately. :( Not my favorite thing to do and deal with, let me tell you. It is really exhausting to be a mama when your child is acting out. . .and then in a second, they turn and are complete angels again. Sheesh! Here is our hot shot shopping at the party store w/ sunglasses--seriously?? :)Abigail also thinks she is as small as her toys and will sit on or in everything. Here she is in her baby doll crib--my big giant baby!Our cutie-pa-tootie headed to Zach's bosses house to make apple cider. She was soooo excited because she wanted an "apple"--all she could say the whole way there. When we go grocery shopping I let her nibble on an apple so anytime we drive past Safeway she starts saying "apple". Any time we drive past Subway she starts saying "chips". My girl knows what she loves and doesn't forget a thing!Aunt Michelle got Abs these cute Elmo slippers. She makes me put them on every once in awhile too.Being goofy for Grandpa--boy does she love her Grandpa. . .and Grandma. They came to visit a few weeks ago and when she realized Grandpa was here too she started going crazy. I wish I had it on camera! It was so dang cute. I love hearing them play together. Our little entertainer, comedian loves to pretend like she just falls asleep. She especially likes to do this when we are trying to get her to do something. She thinks she is so funny. The little chair in the background was her birthday present from Grandma and Grandpa. It says her name on it and she loves to free fall backwards into it. Drives me nuts because she really has no fear and one of these days she is going to free fall into the ground!!! uggghhh I can't believe how much Abigail has grown even just in these past few months. Her vocabulary grows tons each day. She is so good w/ the alphabet and getting better and better w/ numbers too. She just amazes us more every day. Mama and Daddy love you little girl. . .even when you act like a pistol. :)

36 weeks and the Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-24T20:25:00.000-07:00

Well I've officially lasted longer than I did w/ my pregnancy w/ Abigail. I'm 36 weeks along and had a check up today. My doctor did a cervical exam to see where I was at and seemed quite shocked at how low Ty's head was. . .I knew he was low because I've been uncomfortable and achey in that area lately and he always feels like he is going to come on out if I walk too fast or too much. She said I was 80-90% effaced and 1 centimeter dilated and that she'd be totally surprised if I went til my scheduled c-section date. With that being said she asked if I would want a VBAC if I went into labor before then. . .up until today I thought I was c-section all the way because it went well w/ Abs and I recovered great etc. etc. . .but all of a sudden I started to change my mind today with the idea that Ty could come early. I've now decided that if I go into labor on my own before Nov. 13th I will have a vaginal birth. . .with an epidural of course and anything else I might need to ease the pain. . .and now I'm actually really excited thinking about it. My next appointment is Nov. 1st. . .if I make it til then. :) We lucked out with nice weather on Sunday for a quick trip to the Pumpkin Patch. . ."quick" being the key word. . .Abby wasn't totally interested which I was surprised about. I thought she'd love touching all the pumpkins but all she wanted to do was be held by me or ride in the wheelbarrow. It was totally muddy there so walking around wasn't the greatest option and Abs really just wanted to walk in the puddles. . .which would have been fine if we had rain boots but all we had were regular ol leather boots. Hey, we got a few cute pics. . .but even then Abs was being a little poop head and wouldn't pose. We tried to get a family pic and she wasn't having any of it. Low and behold, we got in the car and she fell asleep so I guess she was a little tired. :)

34+ weeks

2011-10-14T07:54:00.000-07:00

Well my 34 week pics were the last I got before Miss Abigail was born so I thought I better get some shots of Little Ty as well. I will actually be 35 weeks on Sunday. I keep thinking he is going to be born then since Abs was but he'll probably go a little longer. I am and have been much more comfortable w/ this pregnancy than I was with Abby but I have to admit that just this week I really started to feel waaaaaay pregers! With Abby I felt it all up high and couldn't breath but with Ty I feel pains low and sometimes feel like he is going to fall out or I am going to pee my pants. :) He is quite the mover but now that he is running out of room, the moving doesn't feel so great!! This last month is going to be interesting since I didn't experience it with Abigail. I actually NEED this last month to finalize things for Ty's arrival. We still have yet to get his room finished. :( I also need to wash up more of his clothes and get the sheets to the bassinet cleaned so we can move that into our room where he will sleep for at least a few months.
I was just looking at pictures of Abigail when she was born and I got all emotional--I'm definitely ready for another baby! My little girl is a stubborn poop head sometimes but gosh I love the heck out of her and can't wait to spread that love to her little brother. It's amazing how much your heart can swell with love for your family--I sometimes feel like mine is going to burst!!
Here are some belly shots Zach took for me last night at 34 weeks. The bottom two are me at 34 weeks w/ Abigail. I definitely think Ty is hanging lower than she was but for the most part the tum looks fairly similar. . .I think. 29 days til the scheduled C-Section--I know that time is going to fly!

I was going to add some pictures of our silly goose but there are sooo many that I love that I thought I'd just link you to my Kodak Gallery. Check out the most recent pics of our 23 month old. . . HERE

It's getting closer and closer. . .

2011-10-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

Well I am 32 weeks (almost 33 weeks along)! I can't believe we are getting so close to delivery time. I keep thinking its even closer than it really is since Abigail was born at 35 weeks. . .I don't think Ty is going to come that early although I do have to admit I wouldn't be surprised if he did come a little earlier than the scheduled c-section. My belly is so hard and tight--I think he is really taking up all the space in there and most of the time feels like he is trying to get out!! :) It is sometimes hard to walk as he is sitting fairly low. I had my 32 week check up on Tuesday and Ty's heart rate was in the 140's. My cervix was apparently a little shorter or softer (can't remember which word doc used) than what she would expect but I'm not dilated and she thinks its okay. . .she's not putting me on bed rest, just told me not to take any long walks at the mall. . .ummm, okay?!?!?! So I guess I'll try to take it easy. :)
I thought with all the deck stain drama it would be a perfect opportunity to take a picture on it so you can all see the final product. We finally have a color we can live with. :) Now we just need to add our new outdoor furniture that has been sitting in boxes in the garage for months now! This was taken the day of my appointment at 32 weeks!This was taken the next day. I had to go work a tradeshow so am in some "work" clothes. :) I stood on my feet in heels for 3 1/2 hours straight. . .I was pretty pooped by the end of the day!Sooo, we finally did a few things in Ty's room. . .but not much. :) So funny how different it is with Baby #2. We did get the office furniture moved out and the changing table moved in. We need to paint the molding, put the door back on, put a closet organizer in and decorate. We will add a crib later (when hopefully we move Abby to a toddler bed but who knows--we may just have to get a 2nd crib) and we need to bring in the rocking chair which Abigail loves so I don't want to move it out of her room til we get her a new one. Kind of a lot to do still but I feel good that at least the office furniture is moved. Ty will sleep in the bassinet for 2-3 months in our room so I still have time. :) We even got some of his clothes all washed up!! I'm sooo excited to meet our little guy and still can't believe I'm going to have 2 children very soon. Since we moved the changing table out of Abigail's room, we moved in a new (old) dresser to her room. This has been at my parent's house for years and was at my great grandparent's house before that (I believe). I think it looks really cute in Abby's room.Our little reader. She loves books, books, and more books! Sometimes makes bedtime a little challenging because she wants to keep reading more. :) My next appointment is on Oct. 10th. My 34 week check up, the last appointment I had with Abs. . .hopefully this time I'll have at least one more! :)

22 months. . .where does time go?

2011-09-15T13:18:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I have an almost 2 year old! Abigail is getting so big and doing the funniest things. She acts like she is sleeping when we are trying to get her to do something. She throws fits/tantrums when she wants her way (which is REALLY fun to deal with, let me tell you). She still LOVES me to death and wants me to carry her all the time. . .Little Brother Ty has been balancing his sis on his head for months now. . .hope he doesn't mind. :) Abigail is getting better and better with her alphabet too. It amazes me how quickly she learns something. She is saying more words all the time. . .chips (which she loves), a bite (when she wants to eat something we have), shoe shoes (for shoes or socks), bow (which we look for all the time cuz she pulls it out of her hair), all the Sesame Street character's names, all of her aunts and uncle's names. . .swimmin. . .the list could go on. :)
Last weekend my parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary so we went out to the "Lake House" aka-the house my dad grew up in, to celebrate. It was a HOOOT day but we had so much fun. I love watching the little cousins play together. Abby just laughs and laughs at Griffin and Sophia. Griffin and Abs are so close in age and size--they look so cute when they are next to each other. Look how beautiful it is out there!A little photo shoot w/ all the cousins (as of right now) :) Abigail, Sophia, Don and Griffin. Marisa and Amy have better shots that they will hopefully post soon too. I thought this was a hilarious pic of the kids on a hot summer day. I think babes in their diaps is so dang cute that I let Abs run around like that for most of the day. It was great because she didn't stain any of her clothes from eating (without her bib which she refuses to wear). They had all just enjoyed some cake so are now drinking a little milk to wash it down with.I wonder why Abigail never wants to sit in her high chair at restaurants??? Hmmmn, maybe I shouldn't just let her eat wherever she wants at home. oopsShe eats so well and such big girl meals now! Subway kids meals are my fave for her. I get her a sammi and de-construct it so she gets olives, tomatoes, cheese, meat, bread and chips. A little bit of everything--she loves it!Here we are at the first Husky tailgate of the season w/ Daddy. . .we have to go to at least one. She did great and zonked out on the walk back to the car. It was another hot day!A fun Labor Day BBQ at Mike and Molly's--Abby enjoyed a little hammock swing from Daddy while we were there. She loves going to their house and acts like she owns the place, just walking around and doing whatever she wants. I love that she is so comfortable there because Zach and I love it there too! :)Ummm, sometimes Abby thinks she is smaller than she is. She likes to try to sit on her toys--her small toys like this little Sesame Street train. She has also tried sitting in a Barbie chair and on a plastic horse figurine. Makes Z and I crack up every time. . .she probably does it just because we do laugh so much. Ahhh, my little buddy. . .before you know it she will be 2 and her little brother will be here! Kind of scary to think about but I am so excited to meet him and see how they interact together. I really hope they are the best of friends like I am with my siblings.

My three hour glucose test came back A-Okay so everything is going well with the pregnancy. I am definitely starting to feel like the end is near--uncomfortable and achy much more and feeling CRAZY movements ALL. THE. TIME. We still haven't done anything to get Ty's room ready but hopefully we'll work on it this weekend. Sooo hard for Z to focus on anything aside from football on the weekends now though so I might have to have a tantrum like Abs to get him to start moving furniture. . .since obviously I can't do it alone. :)

The date is set. . .

2011-08-31T12:56:00.000-07:00

This little Buddha Belly is will be no longer as of November 13th at 9:15am!! Aaaahhh, we just scheduled our c-section for that day and I instantly got emotional, anxious and teary eyed. :) I'm soooo excited to meet little Ty Alexander. I was reading through all the information we got on our first appointment last night and was just thinking "holy cow--I can't believe we are about to do this again!". November is going to be a very busy month for me from this point on--Nov. 6th is Abby's birthday, Nov. 13th will be Ty's (unless he chooses to come earlier), Nov.26th is Zachs and we also have Apple Cup and Thanksgiving to throw in the mix. I told Z that the ENTIRE month of May is mine for celebrating and pampering since I will be so busy in November. :) He laughed. . .I wore this shirt to my doc appointment yesterday and everyone loved it. Z and I saw it when I was pregs w/ Abs but when we went to buy it, it was sold out so Abby and he got it for me this time and gave it to me on Mother's Day--we just think it is too funny. . .and it really does fit around my Buddha Belly perfectly! Speaking of doc appointment, Ty's heartbeat is in the 150's and my blood pressure was great again. :) Everything is measuring right on and she couldn't tell how he was positioned at this point. . .he moves all the time!!!Now some cute pics of Abs--she is such a little hot shot these days. Seems so old laying on her tum to watch TV. :)We finished her two week swim class on Thursday. Daddy got to take her that day but my last day with her she decided she wanted to get out a little early. She just climbed out and walked to her towel and started bringing it to me. Okay. :) She was also the only one in class that would never high-five the teacher and she wouldn't put a life jacket on during that lesson. hmmn--little pistol!Our little reader--we do this before nap and bedtime every day. She gets soooo excited to pick out her book and get on my lap. I absolutely love it.

Third Trimester!

2011-08-25T20:08:00.000-07:00

WOW--I'm there. . .I've made it to my 3rd trimester!! woop woop I've been feeling great for the most part but am just now starting to feel like the tum is getting in the way. Bending down to pick up Abby's toys or trying to put shoes on is not the most comfortable thing right now. I am however, very thankful that sleeping has not been an issue so far. . .with Abby I was in pure misery in bed--her head was jammed right up in my ribs making it hard to breath!

This is a pic taken this morning of me in work clothes which doesn't happen very often so I had to have Z snap a shot. . .it's usually yoga pants and a tank. :) I'm almost 28 weeks along so will do my glucose test this coming week at my appointment. I'm definitely tired by the end of the day. . .in fact--I'll be beddin down here as soon as I make this post and it's only 8:15! I am also starting to feel very anxious about everything--I want Ty's bedroom done and the deck/porch done badly so I can start to feel a little more settled knowing projects are done. Since Abby came so early I just want to be prepared in case Ty follows in her footsteps. I've also been a little emotional lately just thinking about having another newborn--I love newborns and all the snuggle time you get with them. . .but I am also emotional thinking it won't just be me and my Abs anymore. I know she is going to be a wonderful big sister although it could take some getting used to--she doesn't typically like to share me with a lot of other people--especially babies! :)

Notice Abigail needing to be in the pic too. . .kinda looks like she is about to bust a move.

Ocean Shores!

2011-08-09T17:27:00.000-07:00

Kyle and Amy invited us to join them at one of their time shares in Ocean Shores. . .I don't think I've been there since college so I was really excited to go back!! The condo was great w/ 3 bedrooms and a beautiful view of the ocean. We were so close to the beach and couldn't have asked for better weather! Abby, Sophia and Griffin were so excited to be with each other that the first night us adults were definitely ready for all of them to go to bed. :) The second night was much calmer. Zach made a yummy spaghetti dinner the first night--Abby LOVED it, can you tell???? Do these beautiful girls have blue eyes or what?

Abby is really into eating everything we eat especially fruit. Here she is diggin into a nectarine. I think she thought it was an apple at first but still totally enjoyed her snack. She likes to graze all day with a little buffet of snackies on the coffee table. :)Abby's first day at the beach (aside from San Diego last September but she wasn't walking then). She really LOOOOOVED the water which was ICE COLD but she was a little unsure about the sand getting her dirty. She doesn't like stuff on her hands. . .such a prissy little girl. :) Sophia and Kyle also loved the water and stayed out in it much longer than any of us. Kyle even tried body surfing the second day when there was more sunshine--CRAZY!Finally Abby decided it was okay to get dirty!Miss Sophia modeling her beachwear. She has Abby's hat on since Abs doesn't really care to wear it and I don't really care either. Her hair is getting so blonde from the sun.Griffin could have played in the sand the entire weekend. He loved it!!More scooping. . .The fam on the beach. . .in the sun--PERFECT! We even got a kite which Abigail loved. It's clipped to the basket and just overhead of us while we played.More snacking--I thought this was hilarious because she is practically doing the splits. It was a great weekend. Even though it can get a little overwhelming with all the kids together, I do love that they have so much fun together. Thank you Kyle and Amy for inviting us! We had a wonderful time.

On other news--I had a 26 week check up yesterday and everything looks good. I've gained about 21 pounds so far. Ty's heartrate was in the 140's and he had the hiccups. My next appointment is when I have to do the Glucose test--not my favorite thing to do but the lemon lime when cold isn't horrible. . .if I drink it real fast. :) I also scheduled 2 more appointments that will put me through my 34th week. . .which is the last appointment I had with Abigail since she was born at 35 weeks. So weird to think about. . .

24 weeks. . .

2011-08-02T18:41:00.000-07:00

I'm 24 weeks along with this pregnancy. I feel like all I remember from being pregnant w/ Abigail is feeling uncomfortable all the time like I needed to sit straight so I could breath better but I don't know if that was when I was bigger or if it started right away. So far with Ty, I don't feel that way although bending over is getting really difficult which means picking up Abby's toys a gazillion times a day wears me out!! I also could never get comfortable sleeping with Miss Abigail but so far so good on the sleeping front with Ty--thank goodness!! I am starting to feel a little acid reflux in my throat which worries me that I am going to start getting terrible heartburn like I did with Abs. . .not looking forward to that--and I'm sure Z isn't either. :)

These are pics of me at 24 weeks with Abigail. . .in the same outfit. :) I like to compare. So far I have been a pound behind with Ty but I also started out a pound behind so I am pretty much the same. We'll see how that goes as I grow in my 3rd trimester.

Our Goofball!

2011-07-30T08:57:00.000-07:00

Abigail thinks she is quite the comedian these days. . .always doing something to make Zach and I giggle. She is also really growing up and understanding more and more every day. Just the other day I pulled out her dolls and she just started to feed one w/ the bottle. . .how do they figure that out so early?? I about died--it was sooo dang cute.She gets a bath every night (call me crazy but I'm a "routine" gal). She really likes to ham it up in those last minutes before bedtime.I've started to clean out the office in preparation for it now being Ty's room. I moved the bookcase into Abby's huge closet and moved this out. I can't believe she used to be small enough to sleep in this every night. Now she just thought it was a "ride". :)Since we've been seeing a little bit of sun I've tried to take advantage of getting out in it. Here is a cute shot of Abigail w/ Daddy having a before dinner snack and playing on the deck. Abby likes to try everything we eat so she is eating a sugar snap pea. . .well I actually think she has a few in her mouth. She likes to stuff her face and take about a 1/2 hour to finish a bite. . .and she WON'T let us take it out of her mouth so we just have to keep an eye on her and make sure she is chew, chew, chewing. :)Oh her sweet piggies! I can't believe she has enough hair for these. I love it!The first time she got the piggies--from Aunt Amy! We were at Grammy and Boppa's so we got lots of time with cousins, aunties and uncles--it was so much fun. I just want to squeeze her every time I look at this picture.Abs LOVES bubbles. . .and wearing her tu-tu from Aunt Amy! Here she is trying to blow a bubble. Seriously, the bubbles are saving me right now. I can say "let's go do bubbles" whenever I am trying to get her inside from the front yard where she usually tries to play and escape next door to visit Shasta, Quinn, Boo and Carol. :)More bubbles--she loves them in the bath too. . .in fact she enjoys trying to eat them which in turn makes a goatee on her face. Hilarious. She has taught herself to scoot to one end of the bath now and then she sorta slips on her buns down to the other end like a slip n slide--all while saying "weee". Such a silly girl. I don't think I've ever giggled and smiled as much as I do now. This girl can tire me out but gosh I love her little personality. I lay in bed every night and can't help but laugh thinking of all the silly things she has done that day.

IT'S A BOY!!!

2011-07-12T21:37:00.000-07:00

Meet Ty Alexander Wyckoff. . .a.k.a--Baby Dubs. That's right, Baby #2 is a boy. We are just soooo excited!!Here is the money shot showing everyone the goods. :) The thing sticking straight up towards that bubble. . .yah--that's what is telling us BOY. The technician said if she is wrong on this one she is hanging up her probe. And a cute little profile shot of Ty. Everything measured normal. Heartrate was 150. Right now they are actually measuring Ty a little ahead of schedule with a due date of Nov. 18th although they will still keep Nov. 20th as the actual due date. Doc will continue to check my cervix at each appointment to see if I could be at risk of a pre-term baby again. . .she also said 2nd babies and boys are generally larger so heck, I'd go a little early if need be. :) Now on to planning Ty's room. hee hee--I already think I have bedding picked out! It's going to be so fun getting boy stuff now.

4th of July weekend

2011-07-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

I know it's a little past due but I have such cute pics from the 4th of July weekend that I had to post!! Here is Abigail in our new truck on the way to Alderbrook Resort & Spa for the "Thunder on the Canal" firework show. She loves sitting up higher on the road and being able to look out the windows. The fireworks were AMAZING--we've already booked our stay for next year!Daddy was so excited to take Abby swimming in the pool and Abs LOVED it. She didn't want to get out. I took her swimming the next day too so she got quite her fill of pool time.Abby's first firework show--this is the latest she has ever stayed up, 11:30pm!!! This in turn lead to a 4 hour nap the next day. Zach was able to play golf and I got a massage in on our little vaca--sooo nice.The cousins enjoying a morning stroll in their jammies. Don't we all wish we could just hang in our jammies like that?? :)Abby was very excited to join Aunt Amy in putting on some make up. She just LOVES getting pretty. hee heeThe 4th of July parade in Bothell. It was cute but waaay too hot so we ended up leaving early. This is Dad and Abs waiting to be seated for lunch before the parade.Me and Abs basking in the sun watching the parade. And this is how the 4th of July ended--Abs zonked as soon as we got in the car! Stay tuned for my next post which will be to tell you all if Abigail will have a little brother or a little sister. We find out in a few hours--can't wait!

My Buddy, My Buddy and me. . .

2011-06-30T07:42:00.000-07:00

Abigail is definitely my buddy. She loves to do everything I do and be everywhere I am from putting on make up w/ me to cleaning out the dishwasher with me. She's my little shadow and most of the time I think it's absolutely adorable. . .there are only a few times when it gets to be a little much and I need my space--not very often though. :) Here we are being silly for a text pic to Daddy!And here we are on a little walk up at Salish Lodge. . .she loves going on walks and will hold my finger most of the time. Sometimes she gets bold and confident and decides she doesn't need to hold my hand. . .like when we are walking around together in the front yard/street.And this is our little Ewok who loves her blankie as much as I love mine. . .Yah, I still sleep w/ mine at age 35, no big deal. :) She was getting quite upset every time her blankie fell off her head so I had to clip it and she would walk around sorta looking up with her hands in what looked like a folded position--total Virgin Mary. hee hee I love my Buddy!

Let's Compare. . .

2011-06-26T16:53:00.000-07:00

Here I am at 19 weeks w/ Baby Dubs. . .And here I am at 19 weeks w/ Abigail Kristine. . . What do you think? Do I look bigger now? the same? riding lower? higher? Do you think it's a boy or girl? Tell me, tell me. :)

I think in the pic I actually look a little bigger now although I am actually weighing a little less than I was w/ Abs (smaller boobs this time and less muscles) :(

Father's Day Weekend

2011-06-19T20:19:00.000-07:00

This weekend I had a baby shower to go to on Saturday so Zach and Abby had a fun day in downtown Seattle going to Ivars and the Aquarium. They both love their one on one time together. Even though I missed Abs it felt so nice being able to go to a shower that I wasn't hosting and not have my little buddy w/ me. . .I was able to relax and enjoy hanging out with the gals--a nice little break for mama and a great opportunity for daddy/dot bonding time. :)
Abby is now big enough to get on her rocking horse and rock back and forth all on her own. She will rock and say "wee, wee, wee". She is also a trick rider and often stands on the back of the horse. I keep trying to capture a pic but never get the camera out quick enough. She seriously loves climbing and has NO fear!!Today all the kids/grandkids headed to Oly to celebrate Father's Day with my Dad. My parents both said this is the last time they will ask us all to get together for Mother's or Father's Day as they realize we have our own families and will probably want to do our own things too. While it's fun to all get together it will be fun to start some new traditions with my little fam.

We had brownies and ice cream for dessert after an "indoor style" BBQ. Sophia enjoyed the dessert BEFORE eating dinner and ended up w/ some chocolate on her face and hair--what cares!?!?! :)Abby has totally learned how to say "baby" and knows what a "baby" is so whenever we see one now in the store she will point and say "baby". Here she is saying it to Little Don. I am still using LD to prepare Abigail for what is to come in her near future. :) I think she is getting more and more used to the idea that Mama is sometimes going to be holding another baby.Of course, my mother had to get a family pic of the fam since we were all together. With this many people it is hard to get a great shot of everyone and let me tell you--it is quite chaotic!!! I'm sure we won't be doing another family shot til after Baby Dubs is born. (Baby #2-named that by Cousin Sophia for the "W" in Wyckoff-too cute) It was a nice Father's Day weekend. . .and the celebrating isn't stopping here--The Wyckoff family plans on doing a little day trip to Snoqualmie Falls w/ lunch or dinner at Salish to celebrate with just our little fam next weekend. I love you Dad and I love you Zach--Happy Father's Day to you both.

17 weeks

2011-06-13T19:34:00.001-07:00

I just had my 17 week check up today and everything is great! Baby's heartbeat is in the 150's and I'm measuring right on track. I've gained 6 pounds total so far since my first appointment. I'm getting really excited to find out what I am having and to have an addition to our family. I have to admit that while I was feeling so horrible I was not the most positive thinker but now I'm definitely in the stage of thinking being pregnant is pretty cute and fun. I do find that I miss my wine more this time and even beer sounds good which is making me think BOY. hee hee I don't crave sweets like I did with Abby but I do love salads w/ ranch dressing, sandwiches (which I always love) and crispy crust pizza. . .okay so I kinda crave sweets--I guess I did have a package of powder donets on Friday, 2 doughnuts from Safeway on Saturday and a scone on Sunday. . .love me some pastries still!! :) Every morning I have an English muffin w/ peanut butter and I usually end my day with the same thing. I did read that too many nuts can cause asthma--praying that doesn't happen cuz I'm not going to stop eating them--they are my staple. I did the same thing with Abby and so far she seems okay. . .my next doctor appointment is on July 11th when we get to find out what the sex is--I can't wait!! AND, for some reason I've been telling people my due date is Nov. 22 but really it is Nov. 20--blame it on pregnancy brain. :) Leah, here is a tummy pic just for you. . .I promise to start taking more now that he or she has really popped out there.

My sweet, sweet Abigail. . .

2011-06-08T20:30:00.000-07:00

Zach took these pics last night when he was giving her a bath and I think they are too cute not to share. Abby loves bath time, especially now that we have introduced bubbles to her. We kinda got a little too many this time but we shower her off so she doesn't get irritated from all the soap. She is so silly and just wants to eat them! What am I going to do when I need to wash her mouth out if she actually likes the taste?? (ha--like I would ever do that!)
A mouth full of teeth and a bubbly goatee (how the heck do you spell that word anyway??)

Someone wanted to be sitting right on Mama's lap when I was holding Baby Don. I tried to have her sit next to me but she wanted that spot so we did it. What a silly cornball. I just love her little smile in this pic. . .by the end of this year this is really what my life will look like--SCARY! but exciting.Abigail just wanting to check her cousin out. . .I think she is going to enjoy being a big sister and Baby Don is giving her good practice already. :)

A 5th Birthday & The Zoo!

2011-06-05T08:56:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we visited Olympia on Sunday to celebrate Sophia's 5th Birthday!!! We also had a mass dedicated to my dad since he will be going into surgery for his prostate cancer later this month. It was quite comical having the grandkids at church--thankfully there was lots of space to let them roam while mass was going on. . .Abby kept wanting to get into the Holy Water Pool though. hee hee As usual, Sophia, Griffin and Abigail were VERY excited to see each other. . .here we are walking into church. Abby loves her cousins, aunts, uncles and Grammy and Boppa.Abby really enjoyed herself at the party with all the kids. Here she is on her first date. . .this is Lincoln and they shared a plate of food--sooo cute. :)Some of the fam sittin back and watching the chaos of a 5th birthday party. . .Like father, like son--I mean, these guys are pretty much spitting images of each other. Can't wait to see Baby Don today!! He's getting so big. His Daddy LOVES him soooo much and has a hard time sharing him with anyone--I can't blame him. :)This weekend since we finally got sunshine Zach and I decided we needed to take Abigail to the Woodland Park Zoo! It was a great day in the sun with my little family. We started with lunch at Wallingford Pizza--YUM. We even got to sit outside. Z and I definitely miss all of our fave restaurants in the city. Here is Abby lookin ever so cute in the morning before we left. I just want to squeeze her so much when she's in her cute little jammies.Love this pic of my babes. Abigail LOVED the penguins. . .I think partially because she really enjoys water and because she got to get sooo close to them. Here she is trying to touch the penguin. Every time they came close like this Abby would giggle. Too cute. It was really hard to get her to leave this exhibit and it was our first stop so we still had so much to see. :)Abby and I at the gorilla exhibit. . .well this is of course just a statue but we did get to see quite a few of real ones all just loungin with their feet up. It was so cute. Abby also really liked seeing these guys.

Today we head to Oly again to watch Sophia's first dance recital. We are soooo excited to see everyone and to see Sophes dance. We know she is going to look beautiful and have a wonderful performance!

My 18, almost 19 month old. . .

2011-05-26T20:08:00.001-07:00

Abigail is growing up so fast and her personality is hilarious. She loves to make people laugh and while she does it, she thinks she is quite funny always belting out a big laugh--the Hussey Honk for sure! She is walking and climbing everywhere keeping herself so busy. I am so thankful she plays so well by herself because on days like today when I was so busy with work she just kept going from one area to the next just playing with her toys and reading her books. I had to take her to Red Robin for being so good and when Daddy got home he played and played with her. She couldn't take it anymore and zonked in no time at all. She is saying more words all the time--Elbo has actually become Elmo, Woof Woof for Shasta has actually become Aaa-uhh. . .getting there. :) She can say Grandpa or more like Boppa which is adorable. I say a word or make a sound and try to have her repeat after me and she is getting soooo good at it. I'll go p, p, p, pig and she'll make the p sound just like me--I love it. :) So cute. She climbs on my back any time I am on the floor and she pretty much is at my heels all day long--mama, mom, ma. .HI! She's my little buddy that just lights up my life every day. . .even on the days that she doesn't want to sleep in her crib. :)
Here are a few pics from last weekend when the fam snuck over to Queen Anne on Friday afternoon for a late lunch, a walk and a trip to Kerry Park. It was a really fun afternoon with my loves.

hmmnn, one of those nights that she didn't want to sleep in her bed so I brought her to ours. See that little sliver of a spot on the side of the bed--that's where I slept all night. Not my fave thing in the whole world but gosh she is so dang cute. I woke up once and she had flopped over closer to Zach and their heads were pretty much touching facing each other just sleepin away. It was so cute I wanted to get a pic and post but I knew Z would kill me. :)

Look at those squishy cheeks. Abigail loves her blankie as much as her Mama loves hers. I still sleep with mine to this day pretty much just like that. hee hee Yesterday I washed Abby's blanket and she loves to do laundry with me so I brought her in the laundry room to help me transfer the clothes from the washer to the dryer. . .as soon as she saw her blankie (which she calls aannkie or something like that--it sorta sounds German the way she says it, so cute) she wanted to suck on it but realized it was wet. I threw it in the dryer and she kept trying to get it as I was throwing more clothes on it. Pretty soon she started to cry, not a loud cry but more a sad cry like why are you doing that, I just want my aannnnkie. She had the biggest tears and I felt so bad. I hugged her and we moved on to something else quickly. As soon as it was dry I gave it to her and she was soooo happy. Gosh, I just love the heck out of her.

13 weeks today!

2011-05-15T13:19:00.001-07:00

We had an ultrasound last week and got a great pic of our little one. Reminds us of Abby already--huge upper body and tiny little leggers. HA He/She measured a few days ahead of the due date which made us laugh because when I was pregnant w/ Abigail the doc told me once that "she was growing generously" and it looks like this baby could follow in her footsteps. I think those little buggers just steal everything I put in my mouth, leaving me with hardly anything!! :) We have to wait til July 11th I believe for the next ultrasound which is when we will find out the sex--I can't wait!!! I really thought boy, boy, boy all along until about this week when I for some reason started thinking Abby was getting a little sister. . .we'll see. I am starting to feel better although I am sooooo tired all the time and my tum is already feeling big to me. I'm definitely popping out faster w/ this one. . .which is normal--just hope I don't end up getting any bigger than I was with Abby cuz by the end I felt soooo uncomfortable and huge and she was 5 weeks early. :)

My big day!

2011-05-15T12:54:00.001-07:00

Last weekend I had a big day to celebrate--Mothers' Day. . .and my, um, 35th birthday! I have to admit, I've had a tough time with 35. Don't get me wrong, I love my life right now but sometimes I find myself thinking--holy cow, where did my 20's go? Where is that crazy girl that loved to go out and have a good time. . .all the time. Where is that girl that responds to the question of "Kim, what do you want to drink?" as my brother heads up to the bar to order me something, with "oh, I'm not gonna drink much--just get me a pitcher of beer". Or that girl that orders the "vodka cran, light on the cran". I've substituted that with strawberry lemonade and getting into bed as soon as Abby does which is about 7pm!! Wow, life has really changed--all great changes though. . .a loving husband, a perfect baby girl, another baby on the way, a great job, a nice home. . .I mean I guess if I wasn't pregers I'd still be enjoying wine and would probably be in bed with a hangover right now from the wedding Zach and I went to last night--I mean, of course we still know how to have a good time even if we are getting old. hee hee Anyways, I still can't believe I'm a grown up. I used to always tell my mom that I didn't wanna grow up, I was a Toys R Us Kid. . .I guess I can still be that kid though even if I am a grown up. . .in fact that's probably why Abigail is such a silly, fun and loving child--her Dad and I are just big kids most of the time.
Okay, so here is part of the fam at Mother's Day Brunch. It turned out being a pretty day and we always love going out to the Olympia Country and Golf Club!The cousins always love to get together and play. It's so cute to watch them all interact. These cute green outfits were a present from Grammy and Boppa (Grandpa in Abigial's vocabulary)The cute outfit mixed in w/ some play clothes. :)My favorite birthday cake--cherry chip w/ pink frosting--lots of it! Wish I had some now!!I just love this pic of me w/ my babe. Motherhood is the best thing ever. It was so special getting to celebrate both my birthday and Mother's Day all in one.

Abby's first haircut--the video!

2011-05-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

Well, I think I got the video to work so here ya go. My little babe gettin her first snip.

Abby's first haircut!

2011-05-15T12:01:00.000-07:00

This is a little overdue but a few weeks back Abby had her first haircut. We didn't do much, just a snip off the ends to get rid of the fine baby hairs. Hopefully this will help her hair to grow strong and long! I'm sooo hoping she has hair that grows so she can wear it long like her Mama used to--well and still does. :) I just can't wait for braids and piggies!

Here's a shot of the before. It is blowing in the wind so a little hard to tell what it really looked like.Getting ready for the first snip. . .

And the final product. The gal really wanted to put piggies in Abigail's hair. They looked really cute but by the time we got to the car the clips had already fallen out. I tried to post a video of this all but Blogger is being a pain so it didn't work. :( Maybe I'll try again later.

Sunshine!

2011-05-01T18:53:00.001-07:00

Last weekend was wonderful--we actually got sunshine both days! On Saturday Zach took Abby to the Husky Spring Game and then I met them at U Village to walk around and eat lunch. All the activity meant poor Abs didn't get a great nap in--she zonked as soon as we got in the car. .. like before I could even get out of the U Village parking lot. She had so much fun playing w/ the water fountains outside the Ram.
Sunday was May Day so of course Abby and I had to put together May Day baskets for our neighbors. We used soup cans for the vases and I think they turned out pretty dang cute. We knew that since Abigail loved the water fountains at U Village that she was going to love her new water/sand table. She played and played out here on Sunday and was soaked to the bone. Grammy and Grampy bought her an oilcloth apron to wear for next time--hopefully she won't get as wet!

hee hee, here is Abby eating her first McDonald's hashbrown. She loved it. Look--there is actually sun in our sunroof--that makes both of us soooo happy! In fact, I can't wait to get out in it today!A little video of Abby being silly at her new water table. Enjoy--(I would have written more but I've tried posting this twice already and it wouldn't work and my work kept getting deleted so I just had to make it short and sweet.)

I love Abby's giggles and silly screams. . .

Last night. . .

2011-04-27T10:59:00.000-07:00

. . .was kinda rough. Abby started off not wanting to take a bath. . .so I gave in and didn't give it to her. Then she didn't want to sleep in her bed. . .so I gave in and let her lay in bed w/ me while I watched TV. . .but then as the night went on she was obviously tired and wouldn't fall asleep w/ the TV on so I had to switch it to music (and quit watching my shows)--Finally-she fell asleep. . .. . .on Zach's side of the bed. Sorry Dad. He wanted to come to bed so I moved her to the middle. . .sweet little angel :)and as soon as he got in bed she rolled over right on top of him and was just sleepin. He, on the other hand, was practically falling off the bed. Again, sorry Dad. :)I tried to move Abby to her bed but she woke up and got REALLY mad so I gave in AGAIN and brought her back to bed w/ us where she then decided to snuggle up w/ me. In the end, Zach decided he just wasn't fitting so Abs and I had a slumber party in the bed and Dad slept on the couch. Sometimes there are gonna be nights like this. . .thankfully they are very few and far between at our house or we wouldn't be dorks taking pics and smiling all while our poor baby is trying to sleep. :)

Finally a sunny day!

2011-04-27T10:53:00.001-07:00

On Saturday we finally got some sun so of course we had to get out in it! Thank God for the Zofran because I was actually feeling well enough to get up and out! We took Abby to a park in Bellevue because we also had to run to B Square. She loved just running around in the grass with no shoes and socks on. I loved the feeling of the sun on my back.
This picture cracks me up-looks like she is about to do a cartwheel. Notice the pony--first one. :) She still needs a little hair cut. . .Here's our cool cat w/ her shades on!At Bellevue Square there is a wonderful children's play area on the 3rd floor so we took her up there to play for a bit--uum, she loved it--can you tell?!?! :)This was a cute ferry that she could crawl all around on. She really liked the freedom of being able to climb around on stuff and I liked the fact that everything was soft!! We had a really fun day and can't wait for summer so we can play like this more.

A fun ferry ride. . .

2011-04-27T10:35:00.000-07:00

A few Sundays ago we headed out to Alderbrook Resort & Spa via ferry to spend the night since I had to be there for an early morning meeting on Monday. We got to the ferry really early so Abby just wanted to run around. It made me a little nervous because she is so independent now that she won't let us hold her hand and I was worried she was going to fall on the pavement. She did great though. Our little adventurer. :) She walked around on the ferry saying "Hi" to everyone thinking she was so cool.

The Bathroom Remodel Completed!

2011-04-17T10:00:00.001-07:00

The bathroom remodel has been done for awhile but I just haven't been motivated to post anything lately. It's hard to get good pics of the bathroom because it's not huge but here goes. . . Okay, well first a pic of Abigail and Uncle Joe because it is too cute not to post. This is at my mom and dad's house from a few weeks ago. Abs loves to walk in loops around their house--this girl can't get enough of being outside! Such a northwest baby.We chose natural slate for the floors. It apparently is pretty difficult to install due to its irregular heights etc. but the tile layer did a great job and we love it. We still need to get a new vent cover that isn't white. . .The new vanity is hickory wood w/ a granite counter top. All of our fixtures are brushed satin. We decided to keep the medicine cabinet/mirror that was already here because both Zach and I kinda liked it and it's very useful for storage. Someday maybe I'll have some more decorative pieces in here but for now it'll have to be lotion and toothpaste. :)Our new subway tile--seriously who doesn't love subway tile??? We chose to have the tile go all the way up to the ceiling--I highly recommend it! The best shot I could get of the whole bathroom. Dark blue walls w/ white wainscoting. Our shower curtain is white w/ blue leaves (from Pottery Barn years ago) which has always inspired me to want a bathroom to actually match. People thought this blue was going to be too dark but with the white lower half and the skylight it actually works wonderfully! I knew it would. :) Now I just need to hang my pictures back up and we should be good to go. All in all I love the final product although I've decided I HATE the process of remodeling!!!

Thank goodness for my husband. . .

2011-04-12T08:20:00.001-07:00

Soo sorry for the lack of posts lately. . .this morning sickness (or should I say--"all day" sickness) is to blame. I don't feel like doing anything except the bare minimums which usually entails work and watching Abby. . .everything besides those two things has been put to the way side. If it weren't for Zach, our house and Abby and I would be in shambles! He has done the grocery shopping every day for the past few weeks, makes dinner, gives Abby her bath at night, comes home from work early just so he can watch Abby (while working still) to give me a break, doesn't mind that there could be cracker crumbs in bed and most importantly puts up with my awesome mood. :) I'm hoping to start feeling better soon and get back to my normal self! Everyone keeps telling me that sickness means a healthy pregnancy so I hope it's true!! We have our doctor appointment this afternoon so I'll try to muster up energy to post afterwards AND we also have pics of our bathroom remodel I still need to post. . . Thanks Hon for being so wonderful. I love you!

Family of 4 on its way. . .

2011-03-29T09:19:00.001-07:00

That's right--we're (I'm) having a baby. . .again! Pretty much exactly 2 years apart from Abigail. I am in my 7th week so its still very early. If we've done our figuring correctly the due date will be about Nov. 18th (Abby's birthday is Nov. 6th). If this baby comes early like Abs we could have him/her in October otherwise my whole fam will have November birthdays except me since Z is Nov. 26th. :) Our first doc appointment is April 12th. Please send us prayers and good thoughts that everything continues to go well and baby is healthy. I am just starting to get into the "sick" phase which I hate (told Z I don't know if I can do this again. . .he was ok with that :)). I puked twice last night. Not fun. . .especially with a full time job and a little one who has been sick too. Soooo, here we go again--can't wait to get into the 2nd trimester when I feel better. We're excited for our family to grow and for Abigail to have a brother or sister to play with soon.

16 months and counting. . .

2011-03-21T21:48:00.001-07:00

I thought I better post about some of Abigail's milestones since I have been neglecting her baby book the past few months. So little girl here's some things you do and say--
you walk, climb--the other day I found you standing on the fireplace!! NO NO NO, you have tantrums to get your way. . .and it works some of the time, you snuggle on my chest before bed time and I love it so much, you dance when a beat comes on that inspires you, you pat your legs when our music class music comes on, you kiss me on the lips, you blow kisses although most of the time you forget to blow--you just keep the kiss to yourself, you like putting stickers in your Fancy Nancy book, you still LOVE flipping through books especially ones with flaps and things to feel, you'll even grab my finger (or Daddy's, Uncle Kyle's or Grammy or Grampy's) to have us touch the page too, you eat pretty much everything we offer you but when you are done--you are definitely done, you let us know that by shaking your head side to side while closing your eyes, ha, you're not dramatic at all :), you sleep through the night and you still take two naps during the day--Mama loves it! You love brushing your teeth. You say Daddy, Dada, Mama, kitty, woof woof, uh-oh and are so close to saying so much more!! Mom and Dad love you so much and can't believe how big you are getting. You are such a strong, tough little girl (which your dad loves. . .and so do I actually :). I definitely think you already have your mama's "spunk" which can be very humorous but also challenging at times.
Here are some great pics from the past week. Last night Zach put my head lamp on Abby and she LOVED it--we were dying!!!(yes, Z and I have head lamps for when the lights go out---great for playing board games in the dark)This picture is priceless!Zonked after a long weekend at Grammy & Grampy's with all the fam!Oh yes, you also color now. It keeps you pretty busy when we go out to eat which is nice. Sometimes you like to throw the crayons though. Notice--Abs is a lefty just like her Dad and Grandpa Rudy!!Ahh, another thing you love to do---go up and down the stairs. . .All. the. time. Sometimes we have to carry you up or else you would NEVER get off of them.So many new things--all fun and exciting, that's for sure!

Our little toddler

2011-03-13T12:29:00.001-07:00

All Abby wants to do lately is walk. She wouldn't go to bed the other night because she wanted to walk, walk, and walk some more. It's really cute. By the end of the night though she looked like a drunk college student because she was so tired she could barely walk or stand. Here she is enjoying a stroll w/ Dad after dinner on Friday.She's got a tight grip on his finger. :)This picture makes me wonder where my baby went?? I think she looks like such a toddler and not so much baby anymore. :( She is in a HUGE snuggle phase w/ me right now which most of the time I absolutely love. . .most of the time. :)WOW--Uncle George is going to love how much Abigail adores her toothbrush and toothpaste. When we let her get a hold of the toothpaste she WON'T put it down. . .here she is carrying it around in her mouth so she can crawl.And here she is with it in her mouth again. . .just cuz that's how she rolls. ???? I literally have to hide it from her and start doing something else to distract her or she gets REALLY mad and this girl loves her some yelling and tantrums from time to time lately :( which is AWESOME. I can't believe Abs is 16 months old! Time flies when you're having fun.

A girl and her baskets

2011-03-08T20:16:00.001-08:00

Abigail is in full toddler mode. . .crawling and climbing into and onto everything. She is really getting the walking thing down too. She particularly loves climbing into baskets like she is a little kitty. . .
The laundry basket. . .The paper recycling basket. . .The toy basket--she really tried hard to get into this one but only ended up on one side of it. . .And the blanket basket. . .which I've moved from the floor because it is not sturdy enough to hold her and with the weight of her noggin, she topples over very easily. hee hee

The bathroom remodel begins

2011-03-01T21:10:00.001-08:00

Okay, so I have to start with a pic of Abs even though this has nothing to do with the bathroom remodel. :) She is a total toddler now. . .climbing on everything, walking even more and becoming ever so vocal. HA
My little helper always right at my heels.Now on to the bathroom. . .A before pic. I've always wanted a blue and white bathroom as you can see w/ the towels--just not the color blue that was already on the wall. Goodbye Crayola Crayon Blue and goodbye awesome floor and vanity!

Oh yah and goodbye Tetris tile--what were they thinking??? They did the same thing in the master bathroom too. . .which means that will be our next project.

Zach was in charge of demo. . .

which led to this. :) C'mon--most DIY projects have at least one mistake. Here's ours and the great thing is--Zach is the master at patching up holes so I didn't even stress. A little baseball hole--no big deal!And onto the NEW--white subway tile for the bathtub. I'm in love with subway tile and am sooo excited for this to be complete. Zach also repainted the walls a darker more navy style blue and the ceilings a new bright white. We will do white wainscoting on the bottom half of the walls and get a new Hickory vanity. There will be new slate tile on the floor that I am also really excited about. They are rectangular shaped instead of large squares. More pics to come as we progress through this transformation. It all should be done sometime next week. . .And of course I have to end with a pic of my little munchkin. This is where Abigail is getting baths during this remodel. I actually like it a lot because there is less bending over so my back thanks me but I think Abby still likes her big tub. :)

A Snow Day in Woodinville...

2011-02-24T20:44:00.001-08:00

. . .or should I say "A snow day in Cottage Lake" because apparently once you left our neighborhood it was a completely different story according to Zach. I thought I better get Abs out in this pretty white stuff before it melted. I'm kind of the ghetto mom with no snow clothes for my child except her nice coat from Daddy. She has no boots and no waterproof clothes and no sled. . .oh well, she did just fine in her leg warmers and Pumas and the tray worked perfect for a dry spot to sit.We ventured next door to Carol's (check out her blog---it's a fun one!) so we could play in the snow with Shasta and boy what fun it was!She snapped all these beautiful pictures for us. I love what buddies Abby and Shasta are. It's so cute. Check out all the pics--the bright, beautiful ones in the link are from Carol and the few others are mine. SNOW DAY 2.24.2011

I think snow days are one of my most favorite things. . .I could just sit and stare at it all day long!

the latest and greatest...

2011-02-16T21:38:00.001-08:00

My little 15 month old. . .well not so little--75th % for height-seriously, all upper body though as she wears 2T tops but is still in 12mo. pants, HA, 60th % for weight and a whopping 98th% for head. . .we've got a brainiac on our hands! Her new favorite thing to do is ride in her wagon, sides off and standing! She is popping at least 4 new teeth which means SLOBBER, SLOBBER, SLOBBER. I literally wrang out her t-shirt today and it was gross. I love her teeth though and OMG--Aunt Amy got her an Oral-B Style toothbrush so finally she allows us to brush her teeth and LOVES it. I am so happy that her plaque is finally gone. Here are lots of my fave pics of the week.

The new fave thing to do. . .

Notice the wet t-shirt. . .Valentine's Day--since she wore her V-Day shirt the night before on her date w/ Daddy this was her outfit. She is not happy in this pic--she's looking for Shasta and wants to go play with her soooo badly. uurgh, this pic reminds me I have molding painting that still needs to get done. . .house improvements are never done. Now we are getting ready to re-do bathrooms! I swear, we'll end up being in this house til the kids go to high school. . .Lovin on her bear. Abs is so cute and will put her head on something and go "aaaaahhhhh". She dives into her blankie and does that when she is tired. So cute. On V-Day, Bear-Bear got the love. :)The big windstorm on Sunday! We drove down this road literally an hour, maybe less, looking for parking and when we went back to get coffee we found this! No roots-poor dead tree. Abby LOVED the wind. She also loves the Ergo Pack and so do I. It's so easy. You should see Abs get excited when she sees me getting it strapped on--it's hilarious.No rain and fairly nice winter weather means Abby wants to be outside all. the. time. Oh wait, she'd be outside even if it was raining. I'm tellin ya, we need to move to Vashon just so she can go to the All-Outdoor-Preschool.OMG--look at my babes before bedtime. They're snuggling and looking at pictures of me. :) Kinda looks like the Virgin Mary. . .but I'm not. HALast time we were in Oly again, had to be outside! Sophia reminds me of that comic strip character--the old lady that always had sunglasses and a visor on. SO FUNNY K, that's all folks! Happy Hump Day!

Yeah, it's the weekend!

2011-02-12T10:34:00.000-08:00

It's Saturday morning and I just put Abs back down for her morning nap and am about to go get back in bed myself. . .I love that about the weekends--we can veg a little! I really do have laundry and cleaning to do but it's gonna have to wait. It would be awesome if there was a breakfast delivery company because yummy food sounds rull, rull good right now. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. I'm very excited for tomorrow evening. . .a night out with a few girlfriends while Dad and daught stay home for date night--I can't wait! Here's a few pics that I love.

Look at this ragamuffin! This is her when she was supposed to be taking an afternoon nap yesterday. All she wanted to do was play and her new favorite game is "throw everything overboard!"

Someone's walking. . .kind of. ..

2011-02-07T22:39:00.000-08:00

. . .as you can see we have to really motivate Abby to get going as she still prefers crawling to everything. A few steps and then. . .a few more.

Urgh--her first cold!

2011-02-03T10:02:00.000-08:00

Abby has had a cold for about a week now. . .just when I thought it was going away she all of a sudden seemed to get worse. :( She of course is still in pretty decent spirits but I just hate all the snot!!! Now Zach is home w/ a cold and I feel like I have a little one too. Usually I can fight a cold off pretty fast so hoping that is the case this time. . .especially since both my babes are down and out.
Here's a shot of Abs before her cold just investigating the pantry once again---Little Miss Bag Lady wouldn't ya say? :)This past Sunday we decided to go to the Fremont Market. It was a fun day but we were not quite expecting it to be so cold--we did a much quicker walk around than originally planned. Abigail loved it--seriously being outside is her favorite thing right now. She actually cried when we put her in the car to go home. I try to get out with her at least once every day while the weather permits. . .I think we both look forward to it.My sweet little sunshine getting a pic from the I-Phone. As I've mentioned before she loves looking at herself and looking at pics on the phone and camera so I did the flip feature on the phone and she could watch herself while we shot the picture-HAM!Finally a little video to show you how Abigail deals with her cold. She usually doesn't whine like this but I guess when you're not feeling good you just want everything to be easy. . .ummm, all I could do was laugh though.

How do I do it all?

2011-01-25T20:44:00.000-08:00

I work full time from home, I am also a stay at home mom with Abigail. I used to work out on a very regular basis. . .biking, Pilate's, body pump, treadmill. . .I felt great. I know there are people who work out all through their pregnancy---I'm not one of those people. I started to slack on working out full time during my 3rd trimester because I got winded very easily and was scared I would pass out in class (those who know me, know I have a track record for passing out). Well actually I slacked on the 1st trimester too because I felt like crap. Then Abby was born and of course I couldn't do anything for 6 weeks due to the c-section. When she was still real little I tried getting back into the gym but had to go in the evenings when Zach got home which I hated because I was tired and just wanted to eat dinner and veg as a family together. I used to do all my working out in the middle of the day since I worked from home which was perfect for me because I could get my day started and then take a break to work out which helped me through the rest of the day. . .evening would come and I could hang out with Zach. With Abby though, I didn't want to take her to the gym daycare when she was that young because I was scared. NOW I feel like I am just too busy during the day with work and Abby. ..if she is sleeping I am working my ass off to get as much done as possible before she wakes up and when she is awake I am still working while also feeding her, playing with her and making sure she doesn't get hurt or break something or whatever.
With all of that being said--how the hell do mom's out there find time to work out again??? What do you do to motivate yourself? I don't feel like waking up extra early or working out at night because after Abs goes to sleep I usually work a little more, clean up the house from the day and VEG--I am so exhausted that working out sounds horrible. . .but I feel so out of shape compared to how I felt before getting pregers.
I just don't feel like guys understand what we go through with this battle so to all of you working moms out there--HELP! What do you do? How do you fit it all in each day? I need motivation, words of encouragement, anything as long as it is coming from a girl--I can't take advice on this from a male. . .unless of course you are a stay at home dad who also works full time. . .then maybe I'll listen a little. :)

A weekend in Oly

2011-01-23T20:28:00.001-08:00

This weekend Abby and I made a trek to Olympia/Tenino to visit the fam before Grammy/Grampy and Kyle/Amy and the kids left for a week long getaway in Hawaii. Abigail hadn't seen her cousins since Christmas!! It was gorgeous on Saturday so we took advantage of that and played outside with the kids for awhile. It was so refreshing to be out in the crisp winter air. Kyle and Amy's home and property are so beautiful to run around on.
Here's Abigail with Grammy. Can you even believe my parents are celebrating their 60/40 this year? 60 years of life and 40 years of that life together!!! WOW I think my mama looks so young in these pics--60? You gotta be joking me! :)

Amy and Kyle's "Mother in Law" cottage--just the perfect size for Mom. . .please make note--they're all standing in this house. . .HAHAHA--KIDDING. .. Only Abs and Griff are. :) We thought that was such a funny joke when we saw this pic. hee heeI think this is Abby's first swing ride and she loved it. She figured out how to pump it to make the swing go all on her own w/ no pushing. So smart. :)Ahh, now it's Sunday night and I am sad the weekend is over. I'm just not ready to start another week. . .at least we are supposed to get sun for quite a few of the days.

A nice little Saturday

2011-01-20T13:32:00.000-08:00

A few Saturdays ago I was up with Abby and she decided to sit in the chair with me to look at her book while I was reading mine. I got my Iphone out and videoed it and she could see what I was filming cuz it has that awesome feature on it. . .which Abby loves--she is so into watching videos of herself. Enjoy! :)

She's getting ready to watch it with me again now. hee hee, such a ham

My little shaggerdoodle

2011-01-17T20:21:00.000-08:00

So I'll warn you this video is a little long but I wanted to capture how Abigail just sits amongst her books and toys and plays so quietly and nicely. . .especially when I turn her new music CD on. The basket of toys is like a surprise every time. You just never know what you're gonna get when you reach in and grab. If you listen real close towards the end you can hear me nose laughing because Abby is cracking me up for some reason. . .she soon hears me and giggles too. How much is that doggy in the window?

Jingle Bells

2011-01-10T20:51:00.000-08:00

So Christmas songs are over and done with but Abby and I worked on this one quite a bit over the holidays. I think we should go on the road together. This is the exact reason why she is going to music classes starting tomorrow. . .the girls loves to gig!

goofball

2011-01-09T20:15:00.001-08:00

Abs got these sunglasses as a hand me down from her cousin Sophia but they are still a little big even for Abby's huge head. We've played with them so much, putting them on her head and ours that she knows to do that now so she'll stick them on and think she is just hilarious. . .and she is. :) Here's the little goofball at snack time just sportin the shades even though its dark outside. Her personality cracks me up every day. She is really starting to figure things out. Her little wheels are spinning all the time and I love watching it. Every night she literally conks out and I think its because she not only goes, goes, goes physically but mentally as well. Our little busy body. :)

My work holiday party

2011-01-09T20:04:00.000-08:00

Since I work in the hospitality industry we always have our holiday party in January when all the holidays are over since we get so many parties that time of year. This year Zach and I dropped Abigail off at Grammy and Grampy's and headed out to the resort for a "lovers" get away. hee hee We had a waterfront view room so this is what we looked out to--sooo beautiful! The party was actually tons of fun and I even won a night stay to Salish Lodge so we were both VERY excited about that. We are hoping to use the gift certificate this month to take advantage of the cozy fireplaces in each of the guestrooms. I can't wait!The Grinch even made an appearance to our party. . .weird--he never left the bar!Zach didn't like that I snuck a kiss in. . .Always one that has a few too many--oops. I'm scared to see what her dress looks like in the front. I feel like we could possibly see nips as it appears the dress has shifted down--YIKES.Such a fun party. Thanks Grams and Gramps for letting Abigail have a sleepover at your place and thanks Aunt Kora for watching her in the morning til we got there. . .wish you could have watched her all day. Mama was a little tired, a little headachy!!

Life w/ the Wyckoffs

2011-01-04T19:42:00.000-08:00

This is Abigail's new favorite place to go and play. . .what fun toys. . .and so many!Abby is pretty good about trying new foods. . .here she is having a pickle for the first time. She seemed to really enjoy "licking the pickle". Sophia said that once and we all about died so I couldn't help myself. :)

I love this shot of Abs. As you've probably realized, she really likes looking out the window. I just think the COLD snow outside looks awesome. . .and by the way--we still have snow here since its been so cold. We finally got some melting today.A cute pic of Dad and babe. Abby always tries to type on our computers and is a genius with the remote control. She gets the TV to do things we didn't even know were possible.Over Christmas break we had people over to meet Andrew Yasenak for the first time. I liked this shot since we got 4 different babies and age groups--Abby, Gwen, Anderson and Drew. It was really fun seeing everyone and sorta having a little play date. Abby just loves being around other kids so it was perfect. We signed up for a music class that we'll start going to once a week for the next 10 weeks. I think Abigail is going to love it--I'm so excited.

Just a few random pics I had and wanted to share. Hope everyone's week back after break has been going well.

Christmas Eve and morning. . .

2010-12-31T11:50:00.000-08:00

Christmas started with Rudy (Zach's dad) and Roma coming over for Christmas Eve dinner. They got Abby some cute new clothes and a Fraggle Rock puppet. She had lots of fun entertaining them during their visit.

The tree after Santa visited the Wyckoff house. . .Abigail on Christmas morning playing with her new toy from the Sniders, our next door neighbors, who she LOVES. We actually went over to their house on Christmas Eve for a little cheer and so Abby could play with everyone and the animals. She was very excited and Zach and I had a great time chatting with everyone.Look what Santa brought Abby--a new Walker Wagon. She can scoot all around the house with this thing. It's so great. We just load it up with her toys and send her on her way. When she gets to the end we turn her around and let her go at it again. We can tell that she thinks she's pretty hot just walkin all around the house on her own. :)

A Hussey Family Christmas. . .

2010-12-31T11:32:00.000-08:00

or should I say "A Crazy Family Christmas!" :) The Hussey Christmas's are always full of noise, "cheer", presents, family and friends. We had such a great day. This is how it started out. Abigail in her Christmas jammies on the way to Grammy n Grampy's. Gotta get the nap in now because there are presents to be opened and played with.The happy Faatoafe family. Baby Don is hiding behind Mama's present. He's starting to finally pop out a little bit. Richie has TV Ears on which is the greatest thing ever. We had the Lakers game on because he is a fanatic fan and they play on Christmas for some reason and he got to hear what was going on while the rest of us opened in silence. . .well not really silence but at least no extra TV noise. :)The geeky Minton family. Uhhh, where's Waldo? hee hee This was Nick's first Hussey Christmas experience. . .I think he enjoyed it. I mean, how could he not--we're awesome and fun. :)Our little bulldog--she keeps doing this with her mouth. I think she likes how it feels on her little toofers. The end of the night--my husband had quite a lot of "holiday cheer" ALL day and I think my brother had a little as well so they got all snuggly. Zach wanted to go to the casino so badly that he tried to bribe Kyle by telling him he'd give him $100 to go. . .uh, hon--NO. :) Needless to say, he never made it to the casino and he slept most of the next day. hmmn too much cheer isn't so cheery sometimes. :)And finally, a very quick glimpse into our crazy family Christmas. Listen to the noise and chaos---this is what Christmas with 6 kids and their families looks like. Our family friends, the Flukes, always come over to have some holiday cheer with us on Christmas as well so the house was extra full and fun. I love our Christmas's and can't imagine it any less chaotic. . .that has been my life for 34 years and I LOVE IT.

It's almost Christmas. . .

2010-12-23T20:35:00.000-08:00

Grammy came up this week to watch Abby so I could work and get some Christmas things done. We went to Redmond Town Center for a quick errand. Before we got there I told Sophia that there was a train they would get to ride. It is so cute w/ lights and music and it takes the passengers on a ride all around the town center. Grammy had to go solo with the girls because Zach and I were on our way to date night. Abby was so tired but my mom said that as soon as the train took off Abby hung out the window and waived to everyone! Wish I could have seen it.

Here's a shot of Sophes by the biggest wreath ever. Abigail LOVES to play with her cousin and was so excited to wake up from her morning nap to Grammy and Sophes both there to play all day!Our half dead Christmas tree. . .we bought it a week ago and when we got it home I realized there were a ton of needles falling off every time we touched it. It was hard to really inspect the tree since it was raining and dark when we bought it so I waited for it to dry and then realized a ton of branches were broken. :( I also brushed off an entire grocery sack full of needles and they still come off. Oh well, only a few more days til Christmas and with all the lights and ornaments its not so bad. . .just NEVER buying a tree at Home Depot last minute again. Next year--the U-Cut Tree Farm, thank you very much!Here's our daughter looking out the window, which she loves to do. I think she's got a little captain in her. :)I realized I haven't taken a ton of pics lately because we have been so busy and Abby is always all over the place. I can't believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I am so excited because I took the day off and plan on baking and wrapping. Zach's dad will join us for dinner and then on Christmas day we'll head to Oly after we have our little family Christmas morning together. I can't wait for the weekend. Merry Christmas everyone!

Makin Grammy & Aunt Ris giggle

2010-12-23T20:32:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Abby and I went to Oly to visit and Abby had a great time making everyone laugh. She sure knows how to put on a show. She is seriously such a rag-a-muffin in all my pics lately but I guess that's the stage right now. :)

Cracker Angel

2010-12-23T20:29:00.000-08:00

Need I say more?

Sorry it has been a few days since I last posted. . .I'll get us all caught up now.

Ummm not so sure about Santa. . .

2010-12-13T20:25:00.000-08:00

We went to see Santa yesterday and Abby was a little tired but quite happy in line watching the other children. . .even seemed okay w/ Santa when we got up to him. . .until I sat her on his lap. She pretty much freaked out and started arching and crying. I'm surprised they actually got a shot of her with her mouth closed because she was crying pretty hard. . .it was kinda funny. As soon as we took her off Santa's lap which was like 5 seconds long, she stopped crying and was totally fine again.Our little winter baby in her winter sweater from Bird. We finally went to get our tree today. Of course it started raining as soon as we got in the car to go. Luckily we were mostly under cover since we just got the tree at Home Depot. It's in the house but we're letting it dry out before we decorate it. I can't wait til its done so it really starts to feel like Christmas.

Our Rag-a-muffin

2010-12-10T15:43:00.000-08:00

Our little terror is into everything and hates wearing her bows. Her hair is always in her eyes which I hate. During the day I pretty much let her destroy our house but every night I clean it up again so she can do it all the next day. She loves it and the clean up is actually really easy--books, diapers and toys back on shelves--piece of cake. . . and someday she will be helping!! 5 minute blitzes. :) I'm sorta scared to see what she does when we get out Christmas tree.

Someone loves their mobility

2010-12-01T21:31:00.000-08:00

Now that Abby is a crawling master she is everywhere! She loves to head down the hall to her bedroom and look at books or grab all the diapers out of her changing table. She will actually sit quite content with her books for a long time. It's so cute. I have to keep our bedroom door and the bathroom door closed all the time because she loves going into both of those rooms. In our room she likes to tug on the curtains and in the bathroom she likes to push her toys into the tub. Another favorite thing to do is open and close the doors which scares me to death--worried her poor fingers will get smashed so hence the box of books in front of it. When she hears me open the bathroom door you would be amazed at how fast she gets to me with a HUGE smile on her face like "yeah, yeah a new place to play!"

I can't be in the kitchen without someone wanting to help as well. Every time the dishwasher is open Abigail crawls over at Mach 10 speed and practically climbs right in. Makes me a nervous wreck because now she is pulling herself up on everything but doesn't totally realize that falling backwards will hurt A LOT. . .we're trying to teach her how to plop down on her buns instead but she thinks its kinda fun to play the trusting game--crazy kid!

And of course the pantry--has to venture in there if the door is open. Just grab what you can and start dumping it out and making noise with the bags and boxes--ah, so much fun. . .I guess. :)

Abby just cracks Zach and I up even more every day. I've had a cold and Abby laughs when I blow my nose--thanks little girl. Then she'll fake cough after I for reals cough. . .total ham!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-01T21:01:00.001-08:00

This Thanksgiving weekend was absolutely perfect aside from the fact that I was sick with a cold. The Hussey's and the Minton's all came together for a wonderful celebration at Kora and Nick's. . .I think its the 3rd year we've gone there and I love it. Everyone contributes so my Mom isn't the only one cooking all day. Nick and Zach each cooked a turkey and they were both delicious. Thanks again N&K for hosting! We bought matching dresses for Abs and Sophes and got a matching sweater vest for Griff so decided we would do family pictures all wearing the same color scheme. I think we did actually get one good picture of everyone that will be a framer--it is kinda hard with so many people!

Abby looked so cute in her little dress and sweater. I loved how poofy it was but Abs hated it--makes it so she can't crawl so I have to tuck it all in to her tights. . .low and behold we soon changed her into a comfy Thanksgiving outfit more suitable for her mobility.

Griff on his way out w/ his stocking cap and jammies. The jammies were so cute but kept falling off his buns.

We stayed the night at Kora's and celebrated Zach's birthday on Friday. We went out to dinner at the Fishtale Brewery in Olympia and then headed to P's & Q's for drinks. . .Abby went to Grammy & Grampy's for the night so we both really got to let loose. . .which meant that we also stayed in Oly on Saturday night since neither one of us wanted to drive the next day from being a "little headachy and a little tired". It was a really fun night!

On Saturday we all went to Grammy and Grampy's to watch the Husky game and hang out. The kids are sooo dang cute together. Love this shot. . .who are their parents anyway??? Chips, cell phones, obviously watching TV. . .ahh the kids of 2010! :)

This was seriously one of my favorite Thanksgivings ever because we just got to Oly and vegged and hung out all weekend. . .we weren't in a rush to get back home so really got to enjoy our time together as a big ol happy family. I love my family so much and am thankful everyday for our friendships. ..my husband, my baby, siblings and mom and dad are truly the best friends I am not only stuck with for life but more so are blessed to have for life. I love you guys.

I said Burrr it's cold in here

2010-11-23T20:10:00.000-08:00

Wow---we got our first snow of the year yesterday along with extremely cold temperatures. I LOVE when it snows in the Northwest because everything shuts down. There was sun shining today and kids in the neighborhood sledding and playing in the snow all day--I loved it because I was all snuggled up in our house with our gas fireplace just watching out the window! I did venture out for about 5 minutes to snap a few shots of Abigail but it didn't last long cuz her fingers got cold. I can't find her mittens!!! Before the big chill and snowfall I was walking down the front steps with Miss Abigail and slipped and fell. It was the scariest thing ever but I took the entire fall all so Abby wouldn't hit her head or get hurt. She cried a little from being scared. . .I cried a lot from being scared. . .and I do have a HUGE bruise on my buns but all in all we are okay and will be very cautious walking outside from now on. This cute sweater is from Bird-I've been dying for Abby to be big enough to fit into it.

Zach and I took Abby out to Redmond Town Center on Sunday to enjoy some fresh air while we shopped. She's sporting her new jacket from Daddy, new shoes from Aunt Kora and Uncle Nick and the cute snow cap from Molly and Josh Massey--the matching mittens are lost, probably packed away with baby clothes. :(

Cold weather means fleece for sure and Avery and Bird shared this cute REI fleece with us which we love, love, love.

More fleece--snuggly pajamas...I just want to squeeze Abs when she is in her PJ's.

Well, even with the cold weather there's always time to be naked. Abs had a horrible diaper rash for about a week so we let her crawl around like this to air everything out. She loves it.

I can't believe Thanksgiving is only a few days away. Zach has his turkey in a brine and I'll be working on my pie tomorrow. I can't wait to be with our family down at Kora and Nick's. It's always so much fun.

Sick baby

2010-11-16T22:38:00.001-08:00

My baby girl's first bout with the flu...for the last few weeks she has been having some issues w/ not-so-fun diapers but I was blaming it on the fact that she is teething. The last few days it's gotten worse though and today after her afternoon nap she didn't seem right. She was lethargic and snuggly with Zach and I. . .not normal--usually she is crawling around and getting into everything. While we enjoyed this snuggy time with our babe we both got a little scared that all the poo had finally dehydrated her. She could barely hold her head up and actually fell asleep on Zach--she never falls asleep on us! I called the doctor office. . .again. . .but this time felt I needed to go in. Before they wanted me to cut out fruit, then cut out her milk etc. etc. but it wasn't getting better. Thankfully there is a beautiful new Urgent Care at the Bellevue Children's Hospital for after hours so we took Abby there and were helped immediately. I was so excited to see the building (but not to be there for my sick baby) because Marcy helped design it! It is so NICE. :) Great job Marcy--so much nicer than having to go to an ER. As we were pulling into our parking spot at Children's I turned around to the biggest barf-o-rama ever in Abby's new carseat (see above). :( It also got all over Abs and her blankets so I had to strip her down to a zip up hoody that thankfully I decided not to put on her before we got in the car. While we were checking in Zach cleaned up the seat/car as much as he could. I had a burp cloth and Clorox Wipes in my purse which were a huge help but I'm still gonna have to pull out our 1 week old carseat and figure out how to pull it apart to really get it clean. Not looking forward to that!

Here we are in our room. We had to give Abs Pedialite every 5 minutes for 30 minutes before we left. She was exhausted but couldn't fall asleep. Thankfully she just has a viral bug so the doc gave her something so she wouldn't puke anymore and hopefully she'll start getting better here within the next week. Poor girl is zonked in bed now (a bed I've already changed twice today so I'm hoping 3 is not a charm) :)
Ahhh, the really fun part of being parents. . .NOT. I know she'll bounce back and probably wake up all smiles tomorrow. I love you baby girl.

Yikes, what a day. . .

2010-11-09T22:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I got a call from Z around 8am...typical, we always talk about that time but I was getting Abby up so I missed the call. When I listened to the message it was my poor hub telling me that he dropped a 45lb. dumbbell on his toe and he thought it was broken!!! OUCH He was probably only lifting those weights cuz he knows I love his big arms--Sorry hon. The outcome. . .it was broken and he actually needed surgery so today we checked him into Overlake. :( He now has 2 pins or screws in his big toe and can't put any weight on it for at least a week. Who'd a thought a toe could cause this much trouble? He is fast asleep right now on pain pills and probably pure exhaustion. . .why I too am not in bed is beyond me. I was up early so that I was prepared to take care of both my babies today. Not only did Zach have to go to the doc but little Abigail had her 1 year doc appointment today as well and needed 4 shots. She was a trooper all day with her appointment and then hanging out at the hospital all day. I love my little fam and know they are both tough. . .we hope Daddy heals quickly! XOXOXO

My baby girl is one!

2010-11-09T21:36:00.001-08:00

Holy cow--it's been a year since that stormy day when Abigail Kristine decided to say hello to this world. . .what a year it has been. Abby is such the light our lives. She amazes us and makes us giggle every day. We love you baby girl. Happy 1st Birthday!
The decorations and food--we decided to keep it simple w/ sandwiches, chips and fruit and veggies. The kids got mac n cheese and chicken nuggets.

If you click on this picture you will see the detail of this sign--it is sooo cute and will be used for years to come. Thank you Amy for making it and for making the fun cake!

Our little birthday girl after having her cupcake. She delicately dove into the cake but by the end was a huge mess. She ripped the bow out of her hair with her frosting fingers and looked like "Something About Mary"--it was hilarious.

HA--more "Something About Mary" and our silly girl sans her dress. . .not only did she get frosting on it but there was even some poo--leave it to Abs to do that! :)

Nothin wrong w/ going topless. heehee When I was little I always wanted to go shirtless cuz Kyle was. Abs didn't seem to mind.

The Kirklands and new Baby Molly came to celebrate Abby's big day. I'm thinking it's Molly's first party--2 weeks old and already a beautiful little model. Look at that hair!!

Gift from Mama--a new Red Rider Ride n Scoot. So cute and I can't wait for her to really get a hang of it.

Gift from Daddy--a new down jacket from REI to keep you warm all winter. Such a protective Dad wanting to make sure she is warm. So reminds me of my dad. :)

Speaking of Dads. . .someone looks to be "Daddy's Little Girl" So cute.

A new toy from Grammy, Grampy and Joe. Abby in outfit #2. . .a sweet little cupcake onesie from Miss Lorissa. Abby and Griffin LOVE to play together.

It was such a fun day and we are so thankful for all our family and friends that were able to make it to the party to celebrate such a big milestone in Abigail's life. Even Leah was webcammed in to watch some of the festivities. Cheers to another year just as fun and memorable. We love you Abigail---Happy Birthday.

Happy Halloweeeeen!

2010-11-01T18:47:00.001-07:00

A little duckie showed up at Daddy's work on Friday to trick-or-treat. . .I loved it because Abby never once tried ripping her hood off. She looked so cute with her little Converse shoes. She also is looking sooo big lately--can't believe it.Her first Halloween candy experience. . .she picked Peanut M&M's--mom and dad's fave!After trick-or-treating at Daddy's office we decided to go out to dinner to our favorite restaurant--Russell's in Bothell. .. if you live on the Eastside you HAVE to try this place. . .total hidden gem! The waitress always remembers us because of Abby--they all loved that she was dressed up.Someones hatching an egg. .. hahahaha. Her giggly smile is priceless in this picture.Our little duckie all ready for the real deal. We planned to visit our neighbor's--the Sniders, and then ended the night at Mike n Molly's. They all loved Miss Abigail and Miss Abigail LOVED. . .. . .Shasta and all of Shasta's kitty siblings next door. Shasta was dressed up as a pumpkin and really just wanted to play catch with us. Its so cute how much Abby loves dogs and cats. . .so its really nice that we have them NEXT DOOR for now. :) Since Tom and Carol's kids have all moved out Abby is more than happy to entertain Shasta and the cats now! Gosh, maybe we should start taking her on walks with us--Abby would be in heaven. . .and I'm sure Shasta would be too.I see you baby, shakin that thang. . .The step at Mike and Molly's is usually quite dangerous for all us adults becuase no one ever knows its there but it was a perfect propping spot for Abs.
Would people think I'm weird if I have her wear this on days other than Halloween cuz she looked so dang cute in it I kinda want to??? :) So Abs didn't care at all about the candy or trick-or-treating and she didn't even realize she was in a costume but I had a great time with it and can't wait for many more fun Halloween's to come!

I'm tired. . .

2010-10-28T20:20:00.000-07:00

Someone finally popped a tooth. . .its kinda hard to see since it has barely surfaced but I felt it and wow, that sucker is sharp! New tooth=at least three shirts each day. . .Abby hasn't seemed too phased by this which is good. . .my tough little girl is still all smiley and silly. So the blog title says "I'm tired" and I'm does mean ME but as you can see in the pic below--Abigail is also tired. . .finally! Since she can now stand in the crib its basically party time each time I try to put her down for a nap. . .which meant yesterday she took a whopping 30 minute nap ALL day. Thank God I had plans to meet Jamie for dinner because after a day working and running after a mobile almost 1 year old mama needed a few glasses of wine and relaxation--thanks Jamie for the date! Today wasn't much better--she finally fell asleep in the playpen for about 30 minutes in the morning, took a 15 minute snoozer in the car and lastly decided to call it quits in the playpen again at 5pm. . .I know that's a little late but hey, I was beat so I took it. It was a shorty and she is now fast asleep for bed where she is at least sleeping through the night til 8ish--Thank you God for that!!!!

When you're standing and standing and getting sooo tired, this is how you sometimes fall asleep. :)

No this hair was not a run through for Halloween. . .that's how it was when Abby woke up this morning. I thought I was going to die. She likes to scootch all the way to the top of her crib so her head just rubs up against the bumper all night--hence producing this. Such a masterpiece, someone get the spray!

Abby loves to ride in the hamper when I am doing laundry. . .and then she likes to topple my clothes piles over--not okay Miss Abigail!

So this is my make-shift baby gate until ours arrives from Amazon hopefully this week. It's been great other than the fact that its in the way for Zach and I half the time. We deal since its saving our child and heck, I can throw her in it for awhile and she is totally entertained. . .even falls asleep every once in awhile.

Look at this cutie in the tu-tu Aunt Amy made her. Aunt Amy is so creative and is always making little things for Abs like this and bows for her hair--we love it! :) Thanks Am.

OMG--the cutest cousins ever! Seriously, these guys LOVE to be around each other. Griffin gets so excited to see Abby that he practically shakes. He really likes to sit on her lap. . .which he is doing in this picture even though its hard to tell from this angle and Abby doesn't care at all. :)

Just a quick post of fun, random pics to hopefully make you smile. I am gonna put some clothes away, change my bedding and watch Greys and the Project Runway Finale so I better get going!

Annual Fall Drive

2010-10-25T11:03:00.001-07:00

A few weekends ago when it was actually sunny Zach, Abby and I did our annual fall drive out to Fall City and the Snoqualmie Falls. It was so bright that it was really hard to get good pictures. Last year I was REALLY pregnant with this little one and now I can't believe she is almost a year old--so crazy! Abs is getting ready to eat some hay--disgusting. . .I had to quickly grab it out of her hand but it was kinda cute--such a little farm girl. :) This sweater and shirt are compliments of Bird and Avery who passed it down to Abs for the autumn season. It was so cute on her.

Here's the fam at the pumpkin patch...where we just went to look around and take pics only--once again because the line to purchase your pumpkins was sooooo long. We do realize that soon we will have to actually stand in line but for now pictures is all we need and we can buy the pumpkins at the grocery store! :)

Love the ErgoPack!

The beautiful trees across the street from Salish Lodge where we had a drink and salad at The Attic overlooking the falls.

We like to get pics of our babe sleeping at all the tourist sites we take her to so here she is on her first visit to Snoqualmie Falls. . .she was so excited! hee hee

Yet another beautiful drive and wonderful day spent with my family.

She's mobile!

2010-10-24T22:22:00.000-07:00

...which means I am exhausted! I am literally up and down all day chasing after Abby now that she has figured out how to crawl. In one week she went from barely moving forward to not sitting still at all. She loves this new found freedom and explores everything. Some of her favorite things to go after are drawers as seen below, chords, picture frames and books. Her little butt looks so cute when she is crawling around and now she is so close to pulling herself up. She has figured out how to do that in her crib but can't quite get it when she is out by the coffee table or ottoman--so close though. I am purchasing the baby gate and big girl car seat tomorrow morning--I can't even believe we are already to this phase--where does time go? I also think she is going to have a tooth tomorrow morning when we wake up. It looks like the tooth is right at the surface ready to pop. . .poor baby. She's also discovered the bows in her hair so those get pulled out all the time. :(

This is the shot of her after she finally figured out how to stand up in her crib--WOW, she was sooo excited!

Abby is trying to get caught up on my Book Club books--she pulls them out and reads every day. . .and every night I line them all back up so she can do it all over again the next day. :)

Mom & Dad's. . .

2010-10-19T21:33:00.001-07:00

As soon as I got back from Montana Zach left for a work trip to Dallas so I decided to pack up and go to Mom & Dad's for a few days w/ Abigail. I felt like we hadn't seen them in forever (forever in Hussey time so probably not that long to everyone else) :). Abby got some good quality time with Grammy, Gramps, her aunties, Uncle Joe and her cousins--it was so much fun. Uncle Kyle was so busy with work that we didn't get to see him but hopefully soon.We decided her baths were just going to be in the sink while we were there. She loved it and man, it is so much easier on Mama's (and Grammy's) back.Sophia was taking pictures of all of us and then wanted to be in one--so cute. Love that girl sooooo much.Abby's hair is getting so long that I just had to post this pic--look how cute it flips out over her ears. She's at the stage of ripping the bows out of her hair. :( Hate it!So Mom and I watched Griff one day while Amy got her hair done and Sophes was at preschool. My mom was going to take him on a drive so he would fall asleep. . .for those of you who don't know--he has some issues with going to bed right now so it can be a but of a struggle. I got Abby down for her nap and said I was just going to put Griff in her car seat and rock him. I knew he was totes tired so I snugged him up with a blankie since we didn't even have his bink and rocked away--literally 5 minutes into it I looked under the canopy and eyes were closed. Once again Amy called me the Baby Whisperer. He slept there for almost 2 hours. I felt pretty proud of myself. :)It was fun being in Oly with the fam since usually I am the only one that lives somewhere else but it was also VERY nice to come home and finally be a family again. We missed Daddy!

A trip to Montana

2010-10-19T21:05:00.000-07:00

Another airplane ride for Abby and Mama only. . .this one was actually MUCH easier because the flight was only 2 hours and it wasn't full so I was able to bring her car seat right onto the plane. Abs had her own seat and loved it--can you tell?!?! She did great once again.While we were in Billings visiting Leah, Mike and Drew we had a full Saturday of football watching--unfortunately we couldn't get the Coug game on but Abby still sported her school pride!Adorable Andrew--I mean, look at that sweet little face! Personally I think he looks a lot like his Daddy but I definitely see some Leah in him for sure.Here's the mama and baby snugglin it up in the recliner and boppy--can it get any more comfy?TOO CUTE--look at those lips!I got to sit back with the little ones on our way to lunch--apparently I wasn't too exciting. . .Love this pic of Leah and her babe--so precious.Witch, witch your a b*%tch. Lur, that pic is for you! That quote is from one of my fave movies--Practical Magic...midnight margaritas anyone???? I am so glad I got to finally see where my BFFAE and her family live. It was a wonderful visit but it did make me wish even more that they lived closer to me so we could get together like this waaay more often. The play date weekend was so much fun. Abby loved Drew and would giggle anytime he made a noise. I miss you dearly friend. Thank you for a fabo weekend! XOXOXO

Someone found a finger pocket. . .

2010-10-06T20:31:00.001-07:00

Need I say more.

Also, check out pics from September at the link to the right.

A day of tantrums. . .

2010-10-04T16:50:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are some clips of the tantrums Abby had last week. It was pretty short lived which is nice. I think the combination of her teething and us just getting back from vaca sparked these little guys. She is still so dang cute even while whining. . .well at least she was that day. :)

San Diego Vacation. . .

2010-09-30T17:12:00.001-07:00

Our first family vacation. . .or as we like to now call them--trip. "Vacation" is a lot different than it used to be--no sun bathing by the pool ALL day while sipping on fruity drinks, that's for sure. It was a blast none the less but I didn't get a tan and I was actually ready to come home to our regular schedule.
Here's the girls getting ready for take off! We were really glad Dad was there to help for this plane ride.We were hoping to get lucky enough to have a whole row to ourselves but that was short lived. She did good on the plane but was a bit squirmy so I'm just glad the ride wasn't any longer. :)An evening on Coronado Island. We had a yummy Italian dinner! Zach was so excited to be back and show his girls around.Abby loved that we all got to share a room on this 5 night vacation. She was quite the goofball. Now that we are at home though she has been having little tantrums (some video posts to follow soon) so I think she got used to having us both around with her 24/7. Hmmn. . .Dad and Abs snugging on the bed after a HOT day at Sea World.We thought it was really funny to get shots of Abby sleeping on all of our excursions. Here we are at the zoo. . .which we really enjoyed. Abby loved the turtles and the monkeys. She did wake up for most of it. :)We found a cougar! GO COUGS!Nice little kitty eating a HUGE bone and piece of meat. First time in the sand! Coronado Beach--it was absolutely beautiful.First time dipping her toes in the ocean--it was a little cold but she seemed to like it. . .I on the other hand, needed to get out as my toes were freezing!The whole fam enjoying the gorgeous weather and surroundings. I can't wait to build sand castles with my babes!We got tickets to the Padres game. It was so much fun and they won! Abby did fall asleep for most of this since it was a night game but we had a great spot to watch so we could keep her in her stroller no problem.Our short trip to Sea World. They are looking at the penguins--we loved this exhibit because it was inside and air conditioned.Our last night on vacation we walked the waterfront and got to sit outside for dinner. There were some cute shops and lots of people watching. Beautiful sunset.A week long vacation can poop a person out!

Random pics. . .

2010-09-20T21:09:00.000-07:00

Abigail looks so big in her crib in this picture. Zach didn't realize she was laying sideways and he said "oh my gosh, Abby is too big for her crib!" HA Ahhh, the giant baby!These girls don't really look like they like each other very much. . .The Happy Family. . .well for a little longer. . .glad this picture was taken BEFORE the game. :) Love you hon.Another day at the pool. Abby was real tired for class this Sunday but still did a great job. Here she is floating on her back with Daddy.All the children would sit on the edge of this floaty and the parents would "POP goes the weasel" them up into the air. I love Abby's face and I love Z's tan line and nice shot of his muscles. :) Just a few random pics to hopefully make you smile.

We've got a scooter. . .

2010-09-17T16:03:00.001-07:00

Abigail can scoot backwards VERY quickly--this is where I found her and I had just stepped out of her room for a second to grab something. She also had fibers from her red rug in her mouth--disgusting. . .and kind of hard to get out! Apparently Abby thought it was food. This little girl is sooo close to crawling but can already get around so fast by scooting backwards and rolling. I really have to keep my eye on her. She had a big girl lunch today too--butter toast, deli turkey and strawberry! She loves finger food.
She sorta wanted to cry when she got in this spot until I pulled my camera out--then she was all smiles. Total ham.

For you cat lovers. . .

2010-09-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

Last night Abby and I joined Annie, Kora, Tanya and Gwen at Annie's for dinner. Abby had a fantastic time playing with Annie's big cat Brutus. We all had a fantastic time watching Abby get such a kick out of Brutus. These videos seriously make me laugh so hard every time and I couldn't pick just one to post because they are all funny--even if they pretty much are the same thing. Enjoy. . .and save as a favorite for when you're having a bad day because these are sure to crack a smile and brighten a day anytime.

Wow--what a weekend. . .

2010-09-12T21:02:00.000-07:00

As adults you look so forward to the weekends to veg and have fun. As 10 month olds I think you look forward to Mondays when you are back into your normal routine which probably equals vegging and having fun. Poor Abby had such a busy weekend starting with a night with a baby sitter on Friday. Zach and I had a couples massage so our neighbor came over to watch Abby--it was the first time we have left her with anyone aside from family!! Well, we did leave her with Lorissa at the hotel while we were at a wedding but I kept popping in to check on her so this was the REAL first time. She did great! Thanks again Carol. :) Then she had her first Husky tailgate of the season. Look how cute our babe looked in her Husky dress. She had so much fun but decided to skip her nap for the afternoon and then stayed up late because we ended the day with a party/shower for Mike and Laura to celebrate their Baby Girl. Abby actually went to the game for a bit with me but we left early and I walked with her in the backpack back to Z's car where the stroller was so we could then walk to my car. . .come to find out my keys were in the diaper bag INSIDE Z's car. :( I had to walk all the way back to the stadium, up the ramp to the top deck to get his keys all with Abby on my back. I was so mad and irritated with myself. . .I mean, I couldn't even blame Zach for this one--it was all my mistake. So now I'm tired and sorta just want to go home but really want to give my congrats to Mike and Laura so still go to the shower. . .get there and realize Abby has pooped her pants. I'm thinking no big deal, I'll get in and change her and we're good, her poos aren't' too bad anymore. . .WRONG--I bust into the party and go to change Abs only to find sh*t all over her and ME. I brought a change of clothes for her but not myself so I had to pull a sweatshirt on and get a glass of wine stat! LOOOOONG DAY. The things you experience as a mom. WOW

After that day I told Zach all I wanted to do on Sunday was lay in bed and watch movies. That thought was short lived since I remembered we had Abby's first swim lesson at 10:30. She LOVED it and did so great. I was the proud mama watching from the side with a grin from ear to ear because my babes looked so dang cute in the water together.

Abby had the cutest swimsuit!

This is how Sunday night ended. I took Abs to Safeway and in the short 2 minute drive home she called it quits. No bath tonight. . . :)Enjoy these fun videos of Abigail's first swim lesson.

Swagger Wagon

2010-09-10T10:25:00.000-07:00

I love the Sienna Mini Van commercials on TV right now and noticed that they always say to check out the fam online so Zach found this video and shared it with me. There are so many more--you could watch them for a long time and they are all funny. I have to say, if we ever decided to get a mini van I'd have to go with this one! Enjoy

Double digits

2010-09-08T14:30:00.001-07:00

WOW! Abigail Kristine is 10 months old--I can't even believe it! Now, all I can think about is her 1st birthday party. I've already found the invitations and have the cake and decorations figured out so now we're on the hunt for the perfect outfit. :)
Milestones--So our little 10 month old is finally eating solids. . .well kinda--she has NO teeth still so the solids are pretty much baby food, teething biscuits, toast. . .anything soft and mushy. Abs is so close to crawling, she can perch on all fours but tends to scoot backwards instead of forwards. She is also getting very close to figuring out how to pull herself up--clearly a stage I need to get prepared for!! I haven't baby proofed anything. She still loves bath time but is infatuated with her shadow and reaching for things so she practically wants to stand the entire time in the bath. . .my back just kills by the end because I have to pretty much hold her the entire time. Our little girl is a chatty Cathy at times, a quiet observer other times and sometimes a total squealer. It's hilarious. She smiles all the time--big wide mouth smiles. . .I know her poor cheeks have to hurt by the end of the day. Abs is starting swim lessons this Sunday with her Daddy so we had to make sure her swim suite still fit. Thankfully I got a 12-18 month so it does and looks so cute on her--look at the butt ruffles.

Another thing Abby has learned to do is really lean forward in her swing and vibrating chair. I totally have to strap her in but even with that she looks like she is going to fall out. Now these aren't stations that we use very often anyways but the vibrating chair was great for when I was in the shower so I'm a little bummed she's such a daredevil. She's always looking down or around corners at things/people. Curious, curious all the time.

Baby's plumber crack! OK, so I sagged her diaper on purpose for this picture. Thought it was too funny. She sits like this with one leg in front and one leg back all the time--totes sorority rush conversation pose. We love you Miss Abigail!

Dancin to their own tune...

2010-09-03T21:12:00.000-07:00

Just had to post this. No music but lots of dancing. Love how the video ends with Sophia jumping in the air. These kids danced their booties off! I keep looking at my pictures of the wedding--they all just make me smile.

Andrew Manning Yasenak has arrived!

2010-09-03T08:59:00.000-07:00

This is the picture Leah sent me from her phone to announce that her bundle of joy had arrived. Isn't he precious? I now know how Leah felt being so far away from me when Abby was born. . .I couldn't concentrate yesterday and just kept wanting to talk to her and hear all about everything. I wish I was there with her and Mike--soon enough, soon enough!! I still haven't talked to her because she was so tired yesterday but we plan on getting some talking time in today before her parents arrive and I can't wait. I'm so proud of my BFFAE and so excited we'll be doing this mommyhood thing together. Check out Leah's blog, she's already posted from the hospital. Love it. Congrats Leah and Mike--your bouncing baby boy is absolutely beautiful.

Little Miss. . .

2010-09-02T16:48:00.000-07:00

Abigail is growing up so fast. It's about that time to drop the mattress down a bit. I let her sit in her crib sometimes when she thinks she isn't going to take a nap. She plays for awhile and then usually lays down and falls asleep. From a sitting position she is getting pretty close to pulling herself up. She's such a ham for the camera. . .she just makes me smile.

Check out my new photo albums to the right of Kora's wedding and the month of August.

Mr. & Mrs. Minton. . .

2010-08-31T21:41:00.001-07:00

Congratulations Kora and Nick! Here are just a few fun shots I got (and Janice helped) of the entire event. Marisa has lots more so hopefully she got some of the "details" because it was the most festive wedding I've ever been to. The flowers (which I did :)) were brightly colored dahlias, there were bright colored paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling and even a Mariachi band that played while we walked down the aisle--it was perfect. . .a great reflection of the fun personalities of Nick and Kora.Kora had her 3 sisters, Amy-her sister-in-law, Sophia-her niece and Malia, her best friend, standing by her side.The proud father about to give his little girl away.An amazing view of the water--isn't Olympia beautiful? (I'm a little partial, what can I say?) :)Kora and Nick welcoming and thanking everyone for being there. I wanted to get a little shot of some of the decorations. The fireplace mantel had wedding pictures of family members--it looked really neat.Malia gave a great speech for her best friend. I definitely got teary eyed!There were a TON of children at this wedding and you know how they love to dance! It was so fun watching them bust a move. I know they all had to have zonked as soon as they got in the car after releasing all that energy!The first dance. . .The Father-Daughter dance. . .My twinners and his cute little boy. . .My little sis and her hub--I LOVE this picture of them. Richie played waiter for us for a bit which was nice-we never had to go to the bar, he just kept bringing trays of drinks over to us--thanks Rich. :)The two little ones zonked literally on the dance floor near the speakers. Abs fell asleep in her carseat and we were trying to figure out what to do with Griff. I held him and next thing I know, he's zonked on my shoulder so we got his car seat and snugged him in under Abs. I kept saying I was the "Baby Whisperer" :) I think they were both just really tired. It was awesome though because we all got to stay at the wedding til about 11:30--much later than I thought I was going to be. Thanks little ones for being so perfect. Another fun wedding. Wow, my family has grown and with each new addition I love it even more. Can't wait to see the professional pictures and Marisa's since she is much better at this than I am. Cheers to my sis (sig other) and my new brother in law--so excited to have you as part of our fam. Love you guys.

The Rehearsal Dinner

2010-08-31T21:14:00.001-07:00

The wedding weekend is over. . .on my way home from Oly on Sunday I got a little teary eyed. I think I was tired but also overwhelmed with emotion as another Hussey gets married off and yet another wonderful celebration came to an end. The weekend started with a BBQ at the Lighthouse Bungalow right on the water--it was absolutely beautiful and the food was delicious--thanks Terry and Claudia for hosting such a special event. They even hired their dance instructor to come and teach us some moves!
Here's Kora and Nick headed down the drive to the party--their last night as single people!!Grammy and Grampy with Abigail and Griffin. I wish Sophia was in this picture as well because it is too cute. I have some great looking parents. Notice my Mom's necklace--my Dad had it sitting in the car on their way to rehearsal and he said he thought she needed it for the wedding. . .months earlier my Mom was eyeing it and didn't realize my Dad was paying attention. . .no wonder they'll be celebrating 40 years soon. WowInstead of getting in that fabulous picture with her Grammy and Grampy Miss Sophia was being a little sass-a-fratz acting like she didn't want anyone to talk to her or take her picture. hmmn, the many moods of a 4 year old.The Hussey gals--gosh, we're a good lookin bunch! Check out Abby's sturdy legs. hee heeThe "Little Women" Love my sissy's.Uh, this is the amazing view from the bungalow--we were literally ON the water. It was a gorgeous sunset that night too which made it even better.As I mentioned earlier--we got dance instructions. Here's Joe and Janice cuttin a rug. Joe is really getting into it. Love it.This could be a postcard for the "Lighthouse Bungalow" Love the silhouette of the brother and sister chatting.It got chilly at the end of the night so Abs got cozy in her stroller with her blankie--she loves that thing. She was so great the entire weekend.Ahh, the end of the night (well end of the night for me) I'm sure these guys kept the party going for much longer. Kora and Nick had to take a "Spoon Shot" from his friend and groomsman who owns a bar and that is the popular thing to do there. People come from all over to take the Spoon shot. Glad none of my friends own bars--what would I have done if someone tried forcing me to take a shot at my rehearsal dinner?? :) Our secret would have been spilled! hee hee

Bird and family

2010-08-24T09:48:00.001-07:00

Bird and fam finally made it back to the Northwest for a trip to visit family and friends so Zach and I hosted a BBQ at our place to get everyone together. It was such a fun night. . .I only wish it could have lasted longer. Miss Avery came along but Reece opted to stay back with his cousins.Kelly and Avery towards the end of the night. . .Avery was gettin a little tired. She was so dang cute--she pretty much got out every toy of Abby's and wanted to watch every movie we had out for kids. We let her do whatever she wanted--she had to have been in heaven! :)Molly used to work with Bird so she and Mike stopped by as well!Annie, Joe, Jamie, Luke and Lorissa were also in attendance to say hello to the Smith Family. It was a perfect crowd and a wonderful night. I already miss Birdie.